Stolen
by SilentQuill23
Summary: Haruhi, a freshman in college now, meets with some old friends over her Christmas break. Two men aren't satisfied with their realtionship with Haruhi and because of one, she is missing. TamaXHaru. Kyouya. Rated for language, rape, etc.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh…my head." Haruhi pushed her fingers against her temple. The ever vivacious Tamaki had just called to make sure she was healthy and that the other students were treating her well. It was almost comical how much Tamaki seemed to want to protect her. _Almost_ comical. Although it was much less annoying than it used to be.

She had graduated Ouran academy with a full-ride scholarship to some fancy school where all the rich kids (including all the other club members) went to study to become business moguls and the like. Haruhi saw no point in it. She had opted for a university close to home, far less prestigious, and less likely to make her want to stab her brain out with a dull pencil. All in all, her choice had been the right one. None of the other club members saw it that way though. She had become very close with each and every member of the host club in her time at Ouran, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate in school surrounded by 'the guys'. They really were too much fun and, though she would never admit out loud, Tamaki made her nervous. It hadn't always been that way. In the old days she saw him just like the others; as a close friend. Though, his extra attention to her and his commitment to her safety had soon begun to blur the way she saw him. She figured it was just that he saw her as one of his "children". _Her_ feelings, though, began molding, changing into something new. It may have gotten on her nerves at times, but Tamaki really did want to protect her and see her happy. Sure the other club members did too but his attention was extra focused. Haruhi also began to appreciate the way he seemed to block out all other girls when he was talking with her. Never turning to ogle some other girl with more curves or spacing out. It also helped that he was _really_ handsome. That last part hadn't fully clicked until Tamaki had come back from his first year of college to see her, but it had clicked just the same. In fact, soon after his return is where it all really started. Tamaki had left school a week earlier than the others and insisted on them hanging out so that they could catch up. Haruhi hadn't realized how much she'd missed the energetic blonde. It was like she couldn't spend enough time with him. More often than not, just the two of them hung out rather than with the whole host group. They ended up spending so much time together that they even reached the _best_ friend level. It was all kind of new to Haruhi. Sure she'd had friends before, close friends too, but never a _best_ friend. And, even though he made her a little nervous, she really did love having someone she could rely on with anything. He would listen to her when she needed and talk her though hard times and thunder storms. In return she would humor him and be a _true_ friend. Honest, unbiased, and always there for him.

Haruhi was now in the middle of her first year at college and was, for the most part, really enjoying herself. She was still keeping in touch with the other guys and doing extremely well in college. It was so different from high school. Especially the rich high school she had attended. But that's why she liked it so much.

Haruhi took a regretful glance at her watch and sighed.

"Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get any studying done." Haruhi's final midterm was later that following day, then the Christmas break. In a few more days, the guys were all coming back to visit their families so she would get to see them too. The problem was it was late and she was tired. She would finish studying and getting ready tomorrow. With that decided, Haruhi clicked off her bedside lamp and snuggled deeper under her comforter.

A/N: I can, even now, feel this fanfic blossoming into something MUCH longer than I had anticipated. Maybe I can squish it down a little. sigh Guess I'm going to have to put the other fanfics I was planning on starting on hold for a while so that I can work on this one and finish "It Is You I Have Loved." In fact I'll probably go on hiatus for a few months after this story and "It Is You I Have Loved" are finished. I have to work on my books and take a break.

Before I get any further into this fanfic, I just want to say that it was sparked by the song '24' by Jem and it's based on events in my life. Also, the, I guess you would call it the climax of the story, is somewhat "dark". It's nothing _extremely_ intense but it's still pretty intense. So, if you're sensitive to that particular subject matter (and you'll know when the time comes what the subject matter is exactly) then you might not want to read it.


	2. Unexpected Guest

'_Hmm. I remember studying this last night. I just can't remember the correct formu-oh yah!'_ Haruhi was on the last problem of her last final before the Christmas break. It was a good thing too because even the most studious and dedicated students want to have a break now and again. Haruhi Fujioka was no exception. Haruhi's mind hadn't been able to stray far from the upcoming Holiday for weeks now. All the host club members were coming back in a couple of days and she would get to return home and see her father. She'd really missed them all. Plus, it would be the first time Haruhi would see Tamaki since he'd skipped school for a few days nearly two months ago to come and visit her. She had _really_ missed him.

"Finished!" Haruhi whispered to herself. Haruhi couldn't hold back her smile and she did the imaginary victory walk to the professor's desk. Giving her a knowing looking, the professor stated blandly,

"Always the first to finish, eh?" Haruhi just smiled apologetically and wished her professor a happy holiday before slipping out the side door into the chilly weather.

It may have seemed strange to others but to Haruhi, that first step outside after finishing her finals seemed to clam her immensely. She sucked in a slow, victorious breath before letting her eyes slide shut and a smile curve her lips.

"Curious. I always thought you actually _enjoyed_ tests." Haruhi's eyes shot open, immediately recognizing the voice and spinning in the arms wrapped tightly around her from behind.

"TAMAKI! What are you doing here!?" Haruhi jumped in his arms and threw hers around his neck, pulling herself up to place a small peck on his cheek. Tamaki simply smiled his one thousand watt smile and laughed, hugging her back.

"Missed me that much?" A smug smile played across his face. Haruhi just swatted him lightly across the chest and giggled.

"You're here early! To what do I owe this _honor_?" Haruhi made a face when she said the last word, causing Tamaki to chuckle.

"It's an early Christmas present, of course. Haha, ow, that hurts. Seriously, though, my last final was optional. So I _opted_ out of it. I figured we could have a little 'family' bonding before things got too crazy with the guys back." Tamaki himself had been laughing at his high school delusion of being her "father". A little less than a year ago, Tamaki had given up on the charade and said that if he were her father, he'd just be too old to be cool. The guys had all said it was because the perverted father role was one Tamaki could no longer handle. Haruhi herself had thought about it and realized that Tamaki must just want to be seen as her friend rather than some crazy guy that called himself her father. It didn't really matter much to Haruhi though. She was happy either way. Glancing at Tamaki's cheeks she realized that they were red. He'd probably been standing out here a while in order to make sure he'd be here to surprise her. She chuckled softly. Tamaki was going to catch a cold just to make her happy.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere warm."

Stolen

"Are you serious!?" Tamaki's blushed as Haurhi fell into a fit of giggles.

"I couldn't read English that well and there was no picture on the door…" Haruhi was half-way to choking on the sip of her drink she taken just before hearing Tamaki admit he'd walked into a ladies' restroom during his brief trip to America.

"…s' not that funny…"

"Oh," Haruhi tried to calm herself, "oh, I'm sorry it's just…" Another fit of giggles, "I wish I could have seen your face when you realized!" Her giggles subsided. "Oh Tamaki, I've missed you." Tamaki looked down quickly at his empty cup of tea. '_I've missed you too, Haruhi.'_ Just then a cold wind rushed past the two, causing Haruhi to look up at Tamaki, whose back was to the door, and notice the blush on his face. She smiled to herself. So she still had the power to make Tamaki look so embarrassed. Glancing up a little further, Haruhi saw the darkening sky, causing her to glance at her watch. Tamaki, looking up in time to see Haruhi's eyes flick around, made a small sound in agreement of what she was undoubtedly about to say. Tamaki and Haruhi had spent quite a sizeable amount of time just walking around town, doing some more Christmas shopping, and enjoying each other's company.

"We've been out quite a while." Haruhi jumped at his voice. Her face made it obvious that she was battling with something. Tamaki had progressively gotten better at reading the considerate brunette sitting across from him and it was quite plain that she was thinking hard about something.

"Something the matter?" Slightly startled, Haruhi answered,

"Don't you think we should get you set up somewhere for the night?"

"Stay for the night…unfortunately Haruhi, I'm driving back tonight."

"It's almost a four hour drive back! I don't want you driving back by yourself so late." Tamaki smiled repentantly.

"Under normal circumstances I would just get a hotel and stay the night. But, I was told I must come straight home." Haruhi shot Tamaki a confused look. "You see, my grandmother was not happy when she found out that I opted out of my last final. So, as, I guess you would call it punishment, she put a hold on all my credit cards until I get home. You know, to make sure I come home immediately. She figures since I didn't have that final to do, I had nothing better to do. So instead of "being lazy" I should return immediately and help my father. But, since my whole reason for not taking my last final was to come see my best friend, I couldn't just not come see you. So, I called the family pilot and told him to take his vacation early, since the last thing he had to do before leaving was pick me up. Then I took a bus down here with the cash I still had." Thinking back on it, Haruhi had not once see Tamaki pull out his credit card today, and he'd been slightly more reserved about spending his money. Although, he must have had quite a small fortune stuffed somewhere if he was still able to spend it more freely than Haruhi _after_ having bought a bus ticket. Tamaki seemed to read her mind.

"I've always thought it safe to have some cash somewhere, just in case. Not that I knew anything like _this_ would happen but 'luck favors the prepared'." Though Tamaki seemed cheerful enough, Haruhi wasn't convinced. They spent all day walking around in the cold weather and it was pretty late. Tamaki _had_ to be tired.

"No."

"Sorry, what?"

"No. I don't want you driving back tonight."

"Haruhi…I don't really have another choice. I mean, I only had so much cash on me."

"I mean I'd offer to go back with you, but I'm not done packing, I wasn't expecting to leave for another few days."

"Then I have no other choice." Tamaki's brows were knit together in a pleading way. '_of course he has another choice. He's just too much of a gentleman to ask…'_ And although she could just feel her face flaming up, she turned to Tamaki.

"Tamaki. Why don't you just sleep with me?" Immediately realizing she had implied she wanted Tamaki to have sex with her, Haruhi waved her hands in front of her and sputtered. Though she couldn't tell behind her curtain of embarrassment, Tamaki, though he knew what she meant to say, blushed too. "What I mean to say is, my roommate left early this morning so there's an extra bed in my dorm." Haruhi blushed deeper as she spoke again, "We aren't supposed to have boys in the dorms but there's practically no one there and I can _easily_ sneak you in." Tamaki smiled half-heartedly. Although he _truly_ appreciated her offer, since he'd been too afraid to voice his request out-loud, the prospect of staying the night at Haruhi's was daunting. What if he snored? What if he had morning breath? What if he had one of _those_ dreams while in _her_ dorm!? Tamaki quickly put on a calm, placating face.

"Haruhi, I don't want to cause you any trouble. But, thank you for the of-" Haruhi cut him off with an annoyed huff.

"I said no Tamaki. I don't want you to drive back tonight. You're tired, it's dark, it's just not a good idea. Come on, you'll spend the night at my place and I'll pack fast tomorrow and we can drive back together."

"Haruhi-"

"Please?" Haruhi was looking at Tamaki, generally worried, and he could tell. He hated to see her worry. Tamaki mentally sighed. This girl could change his mind so easily.

"Grandmother's going to be very angry." But, as he said this, he was smiling so Haruhi knew he'd caved.

"Thank-you. I didn't want to have to get down on my knees and beg." Tamaki laughed.

"You mean you would have? Darn. Should have held out a little longer." Haruhi narrowed her eyes and Tamaki's laugh got even louder. Haruhi tsk-ed and rolled her eyes as she slid off her chair to walk towards the exit. Tamaki heard he mumble something along the lines of 'Shoulda let him go and crash his car' as she walked past him.

"Ah-haha! Haruhi, wait," Tamaki clutched at his stomach, gasping for air, "I'm haha coming too!"

Stolen

"There's not much to it, but it's home." Haruhi had just finished giving Tamaki the 2 second tour of her small dorm room. It was simple but, honestly, Haruhi really like the close, warm feel of it. The door opened to a small sitting area with a love seat and a stuffed chair. To the left was a small kitchenette with very light brown cabinets and a two person table. A small hall led to a bathroom on the left and a bedroom with two matching desks and beds on the right. The bedroom was what really interested Tamaki. More often than not, you could tell so much about a person by just looking in their room. And, although Tamaki knew plenty about the sleepy girl teetering next to him, it was nice to see it all laid out for him. The room was decorated with pictures of those she loved. Only a few actually featured her. There was a semi-neat stack of books on the edge of her desk next to a small stack of papers and notebooks. Her comforter was beige but looked quite comfortable. There were a few knick-knacks on a small ledge over her bed. A miniature pink bunny Hunny had given her before he left for college, a couple campaign buttons from a school election, a toy from the "toy prize collection" Tamaki had forced upon her, and a framed picture. The picture was perfect. It was taken the last day of school before Hunny and Mori left. All the host club members were in it. Kyouya was standing slightly off to the side holding his computer and glancing at Haruhi. Hunny, holding Usa-chan above his head, sat on Mori's shoulders . The twins were harassing a very flustered looking Tamaki who was holding his arms out to his "Daughter". And there was Haruhi, out in front, just smiling at it all like she was a mother looking at her rambunctious children. Tamaki smiled at the memory. He truly cared about everyone in that picture.

"I miss it all, too." Tamaki jumped slightly as Haruhi came from behind him to rest her head against his arm and look at the picture. He recovered and pulled his left arm over to stroke her cheek and rest his own cheek against the hair at the top of her head. Even though such affectionate displays had become common between the two, both still blushed slightly at the intimacy of it all. Tamaki stood and thought about why he'd really come out here early. He'd felt horrible about lying to Haruhi but he was unsure about how else to approach the subject. Sure some of it had been the truth. His grandmother _had_ been mad about him leaving early and _had_ put a hold a hold on his credit cards. But not because he'd not taken a final. He'd actually convinced his professor to allow him to take that final the previous day. There was something very important that Tamaki needed to discuss with Haruhi and it could not be said with any of the others around.

As Tamaki glanced down, he saw Haruhi's eyes slipping shut. He chuckled low in his throat and clasped both hands around an arm so he could bend over and look her in the eyes.

"Looks like someone needs to get into bed." Haruhi looked up startled.

"But you still need sheets and-" Haruhi yawned, causing Tamaki to shake his head.

"No, I can find the sheets myself. You need to get to sleep before you pass out missy." Haruhi smiled up at Tamaki. She _really_ was tired. And although Tamaki was her guest, he was a big boy and could find the sheets on his own. So, she conceded and crawled under her covers.

"Planning to sleep in your clothes?" Haruhi just grumbled and snuck deeper under her covers. Tamaki walked over to the dresser to get Haruhi something more comfortable to sleep in. Though he had to quickly shut the first drawer he opened as he realized he'd accidentally opened her underwear drawer. Blushing, Tamaki open the second drawer and breathed a sigh of relief. Although they may not be fancy flannel or soft satin, they were definitely pajamas. A purple tank top with matching pants that had stars, moons, and clouds on them.

"O.k. missy. Here's some pajamas. I'm gonna go look for some sheets and when I come back, you had better be in your pajamas." A nose and chin poked out from the top of the covers quickly followed by a tongue. Tamaki laughed. "I'm serious. Now come on, up and into your pajamas." After he made sure she was sitting up Tamaki walked out of her room and closed the door behind him.

Tamaki leaned his head against the door. Haruhi had really calmed down a little. She was much more playful than she used to be and she was so easy to talk to…If you didn't count that fact that watching her lips moved as she talked gave Tamaki the nearly insatiable desire to kiss her and hold her close.

"Now, if I were commoner sheets, where would I be?"

Stolen

After looking nearly everywhere he thought sheets could be hiding, Tamaki had given up. He would just use the blanket Haruhi had folded up at the foot of her bed. The dorm was toasty warm so the extra heat was more likely to harm her than to help her.

Tamaki tapped softly on the door. Sure, Haruhi had had plenty of time to get changed and back under the warmth of the covers but he wanted to be safe. An accidental peek would do nothing but harm to Tamaki. Things were hard enough as it was. There was no answer. So, after tapping once more, he peeked in.

"Haruhi, I'm coming in." And there was Haruhi, passed out, bundled up in her beige comforter, successfully in her pajama tank top. Tamaki smiled at the picture before him. Haruhi looked so peaceful and…happy. Tamaki loved seeing Haruhi happy. It made him feel like, no matter what was going on around him, everything was going to be fine.

"You're too cute for your own good, you know that." Tamaki stepped softly over to Haruhi's bed to get the blanket. As he leaned down to grab it, he was struck with the overwhelming urge to kiss 

her. It wasn't usually that big of a problem. They gave each other pecks on the cheek when saying hello and goodbye and Tamaki would occasionally kiss her forehead. This time though, like many times before, he wanted to kiss not just her cheek or her forehead, but her lips. '_Well, she _is_ asleep. What could it hurt?'_ Tamaki placed his arms on either side of Haruhi's body, to steady himself, and leaned over her. But as he looked at her lips, he felt badly. He couldn't really put his finger on it, but something felt wrong about this. Almost like he was stealing from her. So, he sighed and brought his lips to press against her forehead.

"Good night, beautiful." And as Tamaki fell asleep, the last thing his heavy eyes saw was a purple lump of fabric at the foot of the bed covered in stars, moons and clouds.

Stolen

He was speeding, fast, down a narrow dirt road. The moon was covered by clouds but the stars shone brightly enough. He was angry. A burning fire was licking at the very edges of his being. But there was something else behind the rage, behind the fury. And Tamaki knew all too well what it was. Fear.

"Pajama pants!" Tamaki sat straight up. Pajama pants! Those were Haruhi's pajama pants at the end of the bed and _not_ on Haruhi! Which meant…Tamaki shook his head, trying to stop the image from coming. Unfortunately, the noise and motion caused Haruhi to wake. And when Haruhi looked up at him, bleary eyed, was when he realized his other problem. He was in the same bed as Haruhi! How had he ended up in Haruhi's bed!? But wait. Her bed was over there. She was in _his_ bed? Tamaki looked down at Haruhi, blushing.

"Ha-Haruhi. Uh. Good morning."

"Mmm…morning."

"Uh…Haruhi, don't take this the wrong way, but why are we in the same bed?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, there…there was," Haruhi blushed, "I dreamed that it was storming and it woke me up. And when I did, I heard you. You were, I don't know how to put it…whimpering I guess." Tamaki cringed. Great. He was _whimpering_. "Anyway, you looked angry and scared and I was scared too so I just…I thought it would be ok if I…I'm sorry that I-"

"No, Haruhi. It's fine. Thank-you for helping me." Tamaki reached around to hug Haruhi and realized his final problem. He'd taken off his shirt before climbing into bed. Tamaki quickly pulled the blanket up to his chest and looked down to hide his intense blush.

"Wha-oh." Haruhi giggled nervously.

"Sorry, you were covered up last night by the blanket. I didn't see that you…I'll just…" Haruhi stood up and felt an immediate rush of cold air against the back of her thighs. Her eyes went quickly to 

Tamaki who'd made a quick startled gaze before immediately looking away. Haruhi looked down behind her where Tamaki's eyes had been a second before.

"EEE!" Haruhi jumped to her bed and covered her entire body in the comforter. Her red face poked out a few seconds later to meet embarrassed eyes with Tamaki. There stared at each other for a short while before both bursting into laughter.

"Eh…I guess I fell asleep before I got to the pajama pants." Tamaki gave her a mock stern look.

"What am I going to do with you?" Haruhi beamed at him and Tamaki's heart beat a little faster.

A/n: So this won't exactly follow what happened in the show or the manga. Mostly because it's easier to work with a broader, looser storyline and also I've only read some of the manga.

Hope you're starting to enjoy it. Can't make any prediction on when the next one will be out cuz I have no clue.

Somewhere around chapter 55-57 of the manga, Haruhi is at Tamaki's house with the other host members when she and Hunny see the collection of cereal prize toys that Tamaki has collected. Haruhi remembers (out-loud) that she used to collect a certain series of them. Tamaki jumps out of bed and shoves a box full of that particular series of toys at her, begging that she takes it. She doesn't really want it but takes it because that's all she can do.


	3. When the Sorrows Began

A/n: So I'm going to start off with an ENORMOUS apology to aihime1. I had promised aihime1 that I would have the next chapter out within 2-3 days (of me replying to their comment). But, like usual, college was all "oh no you don't!" so, oh no, I didn't. Anyway, here's the next little installment.

He felt dirty. There was no other word for it. Tamaki felt _dirty_. Dirty and cold. That little peek of Haruhi's tight, creamy thighs had done exactly the wrong thing to his body. So now, here he was, standing in a spray of freezing cold water, shivering, and trying to stop those little videos that his mind played for him.

"Tamaki? Tamaki, are you alright?"

"Yes, H-Haruhi, I'm f-f-fine." Tamaki heard Haruhi sigh and pad away towards the kitchen. He'd been in the shower for quite a long time, Haruhi must think he'd drowned by now. He reached down and turned the little knob with a blue sticker. He didn't see what Haruhi said was so confusing about the shower , it seemed simple enough. She had insisted, though, that it got a little confusing and she should just turn it on for him. '_hmm…'_ Tamaki had turned the knob but the water pressure hadn't lessened…

"HOOOOT!" Tamaki jumped back against the tile at the back of the tub. It wasn't far enough! He flailed and accidentally toppled into the shower curtain ripping it off its hook and becoming a tangled mess on the floor. In the mild daze he was in, Tamaki heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Tamaki, what happened!?" Tamaki didn't answer, he'd hit his head on the way down and the world was beginning to spin around him. "Tamaki? Tamaki, I'm coming in." Tamaki saw the door fly open and a worried looking Haruhi knelt next to him just before everything went black.

Stolen

"I can't _leave_ him here….what do you mean, 'serves him right'….I didn't want him driving alone….yes, you've already told me how you feel about—DAD! Stop, he's my best friend and I can't leave him in a hospital just because you want me home. I'm sorry but I'll be home when I can get home. I have to go, the doctor's here." Tamaki heard a phone click shut somewhere close.

"Ms. Fujioka?"  
"Yes?"  
"Tamaki is going to be just fine now. He received a serious concussion from the fall. The short laceration that occurred required eleven stitches. Whatever he hit his head on, he hit it hard. Also, is there hot water in your apartment?"  
"Uh, yes. Why?"  
"When Tamaki arrived he was shivering heavily and his internal body temperature was unnaturally low."  
"He'd been in the shower for close to half an hour. I would assume he had the hot water on…"  
"Hmm…alright then. Do you have any more questions Ms. Fujioka?"  
"No. Thank you for all your help."  
"You're Welcome. Although, we would like to keep Tamaki overnight for observation. Nothing serious, we just want to run a few more tests and make sure he didn't he didn't sustain any lasting damage. Tamaki will be able to leave sometime in the early evening tomorrow. You may go in and see him now if you wish."  
"Thank-you, again." Tamaki heard a door creak. Though he probably could if he tried, Tamaki had still not opened his eyes. Haruhi sighed somewhere close to him and Tamaki suddenly realized what was going on.

"I told you to let me work the shower. Tamaki, why didn't you listen to me?" From somewhere in the room Haruhi sighed then laughed a shaky laugh. "Do you know how many people I've had to explain to the reason why you were showering in my apartment? My dad is furi-well let's just say he's not happy." Tamaki registered that last comment and mentally cringed. "You know…I was pretty mad too. No. I guess I was scared. I ran into the bathroom and you-your head was bleeding…a lot. I was afraid that you, that you…" Tamaki heard a sniffle somewhere in the room. "Well," her laugh was dry and quick, "you can't even hear me."

Tamaki's world went black again.

A slow, rhythmic beeping grew slowly louder in Tamaki's ears. He knew right away what it was, where he was. It seemed that Tamaki's mind had cleared while he slept. Although, as clear as his mind was, his body was still not ready to respond much. The simple act of opening his eyes proved challenging. His sticky lids pulled open as his eyes took in what was around him. Tamaki's first though upon opening his eyes was almost cynical.

"Figures." Tamaki was laid out in a rather spacious hospital room with only one bed. Someone must have had him transferred. Haruhi would have only wanted him safe as soon as possible. His grandmother on the other hand, upon hearing the news, would have found such disgrace in her grandson _sharing a room_ with commoners. No doubt, he was in an Ootori hospital private room. A soft rustling turned Tamaki's head to the window.

"_Love? Love!? Love has absolutely no point in this conversation!"  
"With respect, love was the original reason for marriage."  
"That is where you are wrong. Marriage is a contract. Legal and binding that has mutual benefits for both parties. Love is not a benefit. Love would be a deterrent and a distraction if it ever even existed at all."  
"Legality and contracts! Is that all this world is to you?! Money and power are the only reasons for marriage, is that what I'm hearing from you?" Tamaki's grandmother gave him a hard look and a simple answer.  
"Yes."  
"And love!? You're saying that love doesn't exist?" A highly manicured eyebrow raised pushing up her wrinkles._

"_I never said that. Simply, I do not believe it exists in the form you do. 'Love' is all around. The lust for power and money are often described as love. Those who are not capable of attaining such delude themselves into thinking they can have something just as valuable. Do not fall to the common belief that there is anything more powerful than what can be gained through contracts and signatures." With one final hard look, Tamaki's grandmother turned, started to walk away, and stopped. Not facing him, she spoke one last piece._

"_I can see my words have not changed you. You have fallen too far to see reason. Therefore, I will make you see it. Should you disobey me, should you choose make to this girl, this Haruhi, your wife, you will be cut off. All affiliations with those of this family who can still see reason will be severed. Any funds you would have received as an inheritance will be pulled. You rights as heir of this family will be null and void. You may feel I am being harsh, but one day you will thank me." Tamaki's head lowered. His hair fell in front of his eyes as he asked one final question._

"_Don't you love me?"_

"_I would say 'this is how I show my love'. I would, if one could possibly love one so rebellious and ungrateful as you have shown yourself to be."_

Tamaki had no idea why the memory hit him so hard or why a tear had just fallen down his face. It wasn't because he was afraid of losing the money. He was smart and was getting enough education so that he could start his own business easily if needs be. It wasn't because his grandmother had pretty much said she didn't love him. Sure that was sad, but not enough to make him cry, she'd said similar things before. It wasn't even that he would be letting his father down by disobeying. Maybe though, just maybe it was the fact that for the smallest piece of a second, Tamaki had thought about choosing power over Haruhi. It had been the human in Tamaki. He had never wanted anything more than he wanted Haruhi but his humanity had gotten the better of him in that small moment when his grandmother's threat had first hit him.

There was the rustling again. Tamaki's eyes had focused on the small figure curled under the window in a small chair. Immediately Tamaki felt horrible. Normally visitors would be ushered out promptly at the end of visiting hours. Here, though, the staff must know not to unnecessarily bother any of the friends of Kyouya Ootori. To do so would mean immediate dismissal and bad recommendations for any new job they may try to get.

"Morning clumsy." Haruhi's voice was a little raspy with sleep. Morning indeed. The blinds were shut but Tamaki could see that the sun had barely yet to peek up enough to lighten the sky. That wasn't what had his attention though. No, his attention was focused one hundred percent on Haruhi. Her sleep rumpled hair had slight reflections of the early morning light peeking through the blinds. The smile on her still sleepy face was almost angelic in the way it made her half-lidded eyes dance. She was beautiful and he could wait no longer to tell her what he'd come early to tell her.

"Uhm…Haruhi? Can I…uh…can I talk to you about something?" Haruhi's head tilted to the side and she slowly stretched up out of her chair. She just stood there looking at him until Tamaki motioned her over and patted a spot next to him on the bed. "I-uh I planned on doing this somewhere, uh, different. This is probably the last place I wanted to have this conversation." Haruhi just looked at Tamaki curiously. "Uh, well do you remember when I decided to stop calling you my daughter?" Haruhi nodded. "My reason for stopping was different from what I'd told you. For a while now I have…I have…well let me explain in a different way." Tamaki took a deep breath and look Haruhi in the eyes. "Haruhi, when you're with me I feel different. When I was with the customers I felt only a duty to please them. When I'm around the guys I feel like I want to protect them from sorrow because they are important to me. When I was around my mother I felt love. Love that made me feel I never wanted to leave the safety of her side. But you Haruhi, you make me feel differently. Unlike the customers I do not feel a duty to please you but a desire, a need. When I'm around you I want to protect you not because you are important to me but because you are _the world_ to me. When I'm by your side I feel…l…lo…I feel that I don't want _you_ to leave the safety of _my_ side." Haruhi's heart was pumping faster and faster, nearly matching Tamaki's erratic heartbeat. She may not be the first to pick up on emotional cues but she was pretty sure she knew what Tamaki was saying. This was it! He would say it and she could finally show him that she wasn't emotionless like she'd been in high school. She could show him she felt she would burst without him, show him she wanted only him to want only her, show him she loved him. "I have discussed this with my grandmother. She disapproves whole-heartedly but I do not care in the least. Haruhi, I want this more than anything before. I feel this stronger than anything before. What I'm trying to say is that I cannot see a future without you. Haruhi, I lo—"

"Tama-chan!" Hunny burst through the door and flew at Tamaki, stopping dead when he saw the scene laid before him.

"Hunny? What's wro-" Kaoru stopped too. All the previous hosts followed in a similar manner. Kyouya was the last to enter. He looked cool and calm with s hint of some kind of arrogance.

"Hm. I see we have interrupted something." Normally an excuse would be said and the rest of the hosts would be ushered out. Kyouya offered no such escape. It seemed he did not want to let this scene continue.

"_Please. I fear you are the only one who can make him see reason." Kyouya had been woken unnaturally late at night to a phone call from a nearly hysterical Suoh._

_"You're going to have to be more clear about the situation."_

"_It's Tamaki! He left school early to see that Haruhi girl. He intends to confess a love for her and wishes to make her his wife!" Kyouya was immediately fully awake. "I tried to talk him out of it, threatened him, but he would not listen. Now he's had an accident. By the sounds of it, he has not yet had the chance to talk to the girl about it. Please, do what you must to get to him before he can ruin his life like his father tried to ruin his own!"_

"_I will see what can be done." Kyouya slammed the phone down and grabbed his cell. The other host club members had already packed and were ready to leave later that evening. He would need them as an excuse. He could not show up alone. It would be quite obvious he was there for a reason other than visiting. Normally, the plea of another would not bother him in the least. His head would have hit the pillow and he would have forgotten all about what the crazy old woman had said. This though, the situation involved him much more than anyone could know._

Kyouya sighed inwardly. He had caught the scene in time. Obviously Tamaki had not gotten the chance to fully admit himself to Haruhi. This was good news. This was good news indeed.


	4. Misplaced Trust

_Blanket Disclaimer for all pervious and future chapters of "Stolen":_ I do not own anything that is mention in the manga or anime version of "Ouran High School Host Club". Though I claim the basic "plot" of this fan-fic, I'm sure there are a few out there that are similar so that claim doesn't mean much :p

A/N: Okay so please let me offer some explanation as to why Haruhi may seem a little out of character. Her openness and somewhat romantic disposition may seem totally out of character for Haruhi but please, if you will, consider that Haruhi has had a little time to "grow up". Think maybe of this: she hadn't really had much of a hormone kick in, in high school. Plus, if you want to look at it from another angle, even in the manga she is warming up to romantic ideas, and almost openly admitting (to herself) that she likes Tamaki. So, if you just imagine her changing even slowly, over that much time (at the rate she's been changing in the manga) she would have had ample to grow actual "mushy" feelings for Tamaki (who, as I mentioned before in the fanfic, has become her best friend. Developing those kinds of feelings for a best friend of the opposite gender is pretty normal and natural.). Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up before anyone mentioned that fact to me because even I noticed that Haruhi was different from the Haruhi in the anime/manga. Thanks for reading!!

~~Stolen~~

"Nonsense. You should have the best care. This means that someone should be here to care for your every pain and demand." Tamaki was failing miserably at dissuading Kyouya from keeping a nurse in the room at all times. "You will never be without help this way" Kyouya had said. _'I'll never have a chance to talk to Haruhi this way'_. It wasn't an accusation, just a sad observation. Tamaki wished his friend didn't care so much this once. Kyouya took a cursory glance at his watch and muttered something about the something being the wrong time for…something. After tersely excusing himself to Haruhi and Tamaki, Kyouya looked over to the nervous nurse hovering near the doorway.

"He is _never_ to be left alone. If you _must_ leave the room you will make absolutely sure that another nurse is in the room _before_ you leave," the nurse nodded her understanding and Kyouya glanced with a smile at Tamaki, "simply to make sure you are always taken care of." Kyouya's vehemence, Haruhi noted, was startling to the point that it was almost questionable.

~~Stolen~~

"That is called _cheating_!"

"If the object of the game is to get rid of your cards before the other player, would it not make sense to put more than one down at a time if they matched suit?" Haruhi simply rolled her eyes.

"I think we've had enough for today."

"I think you just do not wish to lose to me. That is it, isn't it?" Haruhi made a derisive noise in the back of her throat.

"Yes, that's it. I couldn't possibly bear to lose to-"

"Kiya! Code blue! We need you, _now_!" A second before, a frazzled looking nurse burst into the room.

"I-I can't. Mr. Ootori said that his friend is never to be alone. Someone has to be in here with him…" Kiya, the nurse from before, looked torn. Obviously the hospital was short staffed due to the time of day and she was needed for what sounded like a serious emergency.

"_KIYA!_ This is _serious_!"

"But Mr. Ootori-"

"-Will never know." Three heads turned to look at Tamaki. "I am fine. I don't need any extra care. In fact, I should be being released anytime now." Kiya's eyes shifted from the door to Tamaki and back. "_Go_. I will be perfectly fine." Kiya bowed quickly and exited.

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya's patience was wearing thin. This meeting had run over by twenty minutes already. When Kyouya inherited his father's company, after buying it in secret and selling it back to the same man he was to inherit it from, he had no idea that he would have to sit through such meaningless meetings. It was maddening how such decisions could only me made _after_ running them by Kyouya. They'd already gone over how many wheel chairs each hospital would have, what kind of wood the doctor's desks would be made from, and they had even discussed what brand of pen would be ordered for the reception area. He had had enough. With not even the pretense of subtlety, Kyouya pushed his chair back and stood to leave.

"Sir, we…uh, we have yet to finish." Slowly, without even turning to face his employees, Kyouya replied.

"I hired you all because I thought you could handle making painfully simple and inconsequential decisions about what color to paint the new hospital walls or what kind of latex gloves to buy. I trust this is still true. But, if it is not, I'm sure I could find some equally qualified _toddlers_ to handle everything." With that, Kyouya walked the last few steps to the door and exited, leaving a roomful of stunned, and wholly offended, business men speechless.

~~Stolen~~

Now was his chance! Although, he'd decided to go about it differently. Haruhi deserved to be swept off her feet. She deserved to be spoiled and catered to. She deserved to be told that someone was in love with her somewhere much more romantic than a sterile, beeping hospital room. So he would tell her he needed her to wait. He would tell her about the trip and that he was to see her immediately after. _'O.K. Tamaki! Don't blow this!'_ Tamaki cleared his throat. The situation was hard enough as it was. Having his voice crack from nerves would make it nearly impossible. He needed to come off as brave, resolute.

"Haruhi?" Haruhi was just closing her cell phone. He had been too busy trying to think what to do that he hadn't noticed Haruhi pull out her phone. "Uh, who was that?"

"Hikaru. He says that Mori and Hunny are done at the bakery so he and Kaoru are going to pick them up as soon as they are done at the mall." Hunny had, just an hour ago, stated that he had an intense craving for some cake. Kaoru must have noticed Hunny's odd tone because he immediately pulled on Hikaru's arm and suggested they go check out the commoner shopping. Apparently having a large number of "bargain" stores in one area was something fascinating that the two had been wanting to check out. Haruhi was inexpressibly grateful that, even though he may seem like a child, Hunny was quite the observant young man and had obviously known he'd interrupted something when he'd barged in that morning. He must now be trying to give the two the privacy back that the hosts had accidentally stolen. Unfortunately, the nurse had just now left, leaving Tamaki only a small window of time to say what he needed to.

"Oh, alright then. Haruhi, about our earlier discussion…"

"Yes?" Haruhi coaxed walking over to sit by his side.

"I don't think, er, what I mean to say is, what I have to say is not appropriate in our current," Tamaki waved his hand about him, "surroundings." He finished lamely. Haruhi slumped slightly. "But there is something I need to discuss with you while we have privacy. Because of some decisions I have made, it is inevitable that I will be disinherited." Haruhi gasped and her brows drew together in concern. "Don't worry about it. Marryi- I mean, the decision I have made, with the, er, approval of the other person involved, is much more than anything else I could ever want, so I care nothing about the loss of my inheritance. This, though, is what I must talk to you about. I need to be able to make a living if I am to lose what I had originally banked on as my career. There is a very promising start-up company based in New Zealand that will be doing the majority of it dealing with companies in Japan. I have a meeting with the head of the company in a little under a month's time. We have been in contact for a while now and I pretty much have the job. I simply need to go to this meeting and some company functions prior to it that they are having as a formality to make everything final. I will be gone a month at most after I leave tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning! But Tamaki, that's-"

Tamaki grasped Haruhi's hand in his and spoke as if he hadn't been interrupted. He would lose his nerve, and privacy, if he didn't hurry.

"Haurhi, what I am about to ask you may seem odd but I will explain it all in time. Right now though, I must ask you not to make any big decisions before I get back and I talk to you. There is something of the utmost importance I wish to speak with you about." Tamaki waited for her response.

Haruhi shook her head. "Important decisions…?"

"Any decisions that would change your way of life. Anything about money, or housing, or uh, any personal relationships." None of this was what Haruhi had been expecting, or wanting, to hear. She had expected Tamaki to finish what he'd started earlier. But this, this was confusing. And why was he just now telling her about his impending disinheritance? What had he done to warrant such a disgrace? Haruhi didn't care, of course, about money or status, but she knew Tamaki would take the loss harder than she would in his position.

"Haruhi, please? You must promise me." Haruhi shook her head slightly in an effort to clear it.

"I uh, I promise. But why all this, all now, all of a sudden?" Tamaki's lips tightened and thinned. It wasn't out of irritation with her, Haruhi noted, but what seemed like irritation at the situation he was put in. She knew he would tell her anything she would ask of him, but it seemed he wanted to work in his own time on this particular topic. So, Haruhi thought better of her question and squeezed Tamaki's hand reassuringly.

"Nevermind. It's ok, I understand if you want to wait to talk about it. But know that if you do need to talk about it, I'll listen." Tamaki simply smiled at Haruhi in unspoken gratitude.

~~Stolen~~

"So you see, it would be in your and your job's best interest if Tamaki Suoh was released as soon as humanly possible."

"Of course Mr. Suoh, right away." Kyouya needed to get Tamaki and Haruhi away from each other. He couldn't have banned her from Tamaki's bedside. Well he _could have_, but then it would be all too obvious he was up to something. In this, though, Kyouya felt he had conquered a small obstacle. A nurse had been placed in Tamaki's room. Tamaki was too flamboyantly romantic to make any declaration of love in a hospital room where a nurse would be watching, and hearing, his every move.

"What's this!?" Three heads snapped to where Kyouya stood, fuming for some reason they did not know, in the doorway of Tamaki's room.

"Sir, I was clearing Master Suoh as you a-asked." The doctor visibly gulped.

"I know that you buffoon. But where is the nurse that was supposed to be stationed in this room? Was no one in here while I was gone?"

"Kyouya…" Haruhi's voice was placating, as if talking to a furious toddler, "she was needed for an emergency and Tamaki said she was free to go." Kyouya's eye bugged and his jaw locked. He would deal with the nurse later, when Tamaki would not be able to defend the fact that he had allowed her, told her, to leave. Right now, though, it still seemed Tamaki hadn't said what he shouldn't. Haruhi was still sitting an appropriate distance from him on the edge of the bed and Tamaki was neither overjoyed nor did he look like a man rejected. Kyouya knew needed to move fast. Clearing his throat impatiently, Kyouya asked,

"Is he fine, then, Doctor?"

"Yes, I just need some release forms signed-" Kyouya grabbed the papers from the doctor's hand and scrawled his signature and initials across all the appropriate lines. The doctor turned to Tamaki.

"You are now free to go, sir." The doctor then turned to Haruhi and gave her a list of things Tamaki was not allowed to do and of numbers to call if he anything were to go wrong.

Kyouya slid his eyes to where Tamaki was propped on the bed.

'_You are mistaken if you think I will allow you to take what is mine.'_

A/n: Not a "filler" chapter per say because the information presented in this chapter will be very important later on in the story. _Hopefully,_ I will have another chapter up in a day or two. The next chapter will be more interesting and the one that follows that is where the story picks up dramatically.


	5. How Could They Have Known

A/N: Reviews please  My cell phone got stolen and so I am pretty sad, but reviews make me smile :p Happy Reading!

"Oi, Haruhi!?" Before she even turned her head too answer the twins, who'd called her in unison from across the table, she knew they had mischief on the mind.

"Yes?" She may have known the twins were devious but she couldn't very well ignore them after the support they'd given her today.

"What was Tamaki doing before you found him?" Tamaki, who'd been just started listening in, answered for Haruhi.

"I was in the shower. She's told you before." Tamaki felt badly for Haruhi, she'd had to re-tell Tamaki's story to multiple nurses, doctors, and friends. He was sure she must be tired of explaining by now. Also, Tamaki noticed how she looked a little uncomfortable every time she relived what must have been quite the scare for her. He felt badly about that too, the fact that he had scared her.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at Tamaki as if to say 'did I ask you?' and turned to Haruhi who turned to Tamaki and sputtered, silently asking for help.

"He was in the shower, like he said," Haruhi answered finally.

"Haruhi, what do you wear in the shower?" Kaoru's eyebrows were at just the right angle to suggest innocence.

"Well, nothing."

"And what does Tamaki wear in the shower…?" Both twins were looking at Haruhi.

"Nothing…" Haruhi said it as if she were asking a question; wondering what they were getting at.

"And how do you know that?" Before her tired mind had enough time to think of the implications in what the twins were saying, she answered.

"Well, I saw him when…when…" Haruhi turned immediately scarlet while the twins burst out laughing, seriously startling a young bus boy walking by the table. Tamaki gave the twins a rare serious, disapproving look, or at least, he did after about ten seconds of furious blushing and studying the napkin in his lap.

"Enough." The command was curt and demanded compliance. The twins hid their grinning faces behind their menu's and continued to bask in the joy of a joke gone right. Kyouya, who had issued the command, was still reading his menu, or at least it appeared that way. Kyouya was actually deep in thought. He was about to do something that required some preparation, he didn't need the twins distracting him with remembering that Tamaki had been at Haruhi's dorm, in her shower. It was unacceptable that Tamaki had been where Haruhi slept, showered, dressed. Haruhi should never have allowed it. Kyouya was going to make sure it would never happen again.

The rest of dinner followed in a similar manner. The twins cracked jokes, with Tamaki at the brunt of them and Kyouya looked on tight lipped and quiet, not sharing in the joy of Tamaki's health. Haruhi knew something was wrong with Kyouya. This became especially clear when Tamaki reached next to him and slipped his hand into Haruhi's. Immediately after Kyouya noticed, he stood, pushing his chair back with more force than necessary, and excused himself. Haruhi couldn't pay much attention after that, though, because her stomach was doing those electric feeling flips at having Tamaki reach out on his own to hold her hand. Hunny, though, who hadn't appeared to notice Kyouya's tight jaw and silence all throughout dinner, looked at Kyouya's retreating figure with one quirked eyebrow.

"Ne, Takahashi? How long do you think Kyouya is going to act like that?" After a furtive glance at Tamaki, Mori simply shook his head at Hunny and motioned for the loli-shota to continue eating the cream cake he'd ordered instead of a regular dinner.

Kyouya ran a tensed hand over his face and took a deep breath. He was angry. Angry and frustrated. Even without spending time alone with Haruhi, Tamaki was making progress with Haruhi. He'd done everything he could, while still being subtle, to keep the two from having any more moments that would push them in the direction Tamaki wanted them to go. It wasn't working. Sure Kyouya knew what had to be done; he was planning on having to do it anyway if she were…_reluctant. _He knew now, though, that he'd have to set his plan in motion sooner than he intended.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki's hand still rested in hers, mid-way up her right thigh. "After dinner, do you think, maybe you would want to go and get some desert somewhere?" Tamaki was resolute in his decision to wait until _after_ his business trip to tell Haruhi he loved her and to ask her to make him truly the happiest man alive and marry him, but that didn't mean he couldn't spend time with her until then. Also, to tell the truth, Tamaki was more scared than he'd ever been in his life about the whole thing to actually do it tonight anyway. Not only was Tamaki laying himself bare and telling Haruhi he loved her, leaving himself open to the biggest possible humiliation of his life, but he was asking her something that was not fair to her. He wished he had the time to wait, if she returned his feelings, and ask her later. But he really didn't. He would be moving to another part of Japan _and_ attending a different college if this business deal went through. If he was being honest with himself though, that wasn't the big problem. It was that he didn't _want_ to wait. Tamaki had loved Haruhi since the first week she joined the host club. It may have been more of a "family" type love, but it was love. A love that had grown and blossomed into something beautiful that Tamaki had come to rely on, something he did not want to ever lose. If anyone could ever call Tamaki selfish, this would be the only instance they could use as evidence. It wasn't fair to ask Haruhi, immediately after he told her he loved her, to marry him. It wasn't fair to ask Haruhi that she completely skip the whole "courtship" timeline and become a wife. It wasn't fair that he'd be asking her to uproot her whole life and follow him half way across Japan. But he wanted her, needed her, to agree. But, ultimately, it was her decision to make. She could turn him down if she wanted. He would not bother her about it again if she wanted. But he didn't want her to.

"No, Tamaki. You should go home." Neither Haruhi nor Tamaki had noticed Kyouya return to the table and were equally startled when he'd spoken. The smallest sliver of fire sparked in Tamaki's head. He was an adult; he could do what he wanted.

"He's right, Tamaki. You should go rest."

"Oh." Tamaki looked a little off for what was left of dinner up until after the check, picked up by Kyouya, was paid. Though he finally perked up when it was time to leave. At least he would get to drive home with Haruhi.

As everyone was getting up to leave, Kyouya motioned at Haruhi.

"May I have a word?" Haruhi shot a glance at Tamaki, who was standing awkwardly holding her coat open for her. Tamaki could feel that something wasn't right, something was…_off,_ but he couldn't put his finger on it. So, he nodded and spoke softly into Haruhi's ear.

"I'll be out by the car, when you're ready." Kyouya saw the shiver, the infinitesimal little shock that went through all her nerves when Tamaki had spoken so…so…innocently _tempting_ in her ear.

Slightly pink, Haruhi turned to Kyouya.

"Kyouya, is everything-" Kyouya held up his hand in an unmistakable gesture to get Haruhi to stop talking.

"Fujioka Haruhi." Haruhi felt another shiver, for an entirely different reason though. Kyouya's tone was ice as he continued. "When you first came to the host club, I thought you no more than an over schooled bookworm who would only prove useful if put to work."

'_ouch…'_ Haruhi bristled slightly. As Kyouya continued, his tone lightened only in the smallest amount.

"You proved me wrong, though. A feat very few can claim. I started to notice certain…_benefits_ associated with having you around. You can persuade even the most toughened to see things your way simply with words and time. You can charm others into changing, even if unintentionally on your part. Among a small group of other benefits. Your skills interested me and I soon found myself paying more attention to what you did."

'_!?'_ Haruhi was desperately trying to figure out what Kyouya was saying and where he was going with all this.

"I found myself wanting you. And Haruhi, do you know what is nice about being the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation?" Haruhi wasn't even given time to answer. "I get what I want." Kyouya's tone was gaining a furious energy. "Haruhi, marry me. Give me your persuasion and your skill." Kyouya was positively purring now, an insane gleam in his eyes. "Give me your attentions and your body. Marry me and give me you."

'_What, what, WHAT!?'_ What was going on?! What could she possibly have missed that could have even warned her that Kyouya would be asking _this_? What should she say? What _could_ she say? She loved Tamaki. How could she get out of this situation without hurting Kyouya? She didn't have to think of anything though. As Haruhi looked up, she realized that she'd been unconsciously shaking her head. Haruhi watched, stunned, as Kyouya's jaw twitched and locked.

"I see," Was all Kyouya said before he rapidly turned and left.

Tamaki hoped she wouldn't be mad, but he'd taken the keys from her jacket before he's set it down for Haruhi when she was done. The car had just barely started to warm up when a distracted looking Haruhi climbed into the car. Tamaki was immediately worried.

"Haruhi! Are you all right?"

'_What just happened?'_

"Haruhi, are you feeling ill?"

'_Kyouya just _proposed_ to me…'_

"Haruhi?!" Tamaki had Haruhi's face in his hands. He was staring her straight in the eyes and looked _very_ worried. Haruhi couldn't seem to answer. She hadn't really even heard what Tamaki had been saying anyway.

"Haruhi, I think I should drive." Normally, especially considering that Tamaki had just been released from the hospital, Haruhi would have declined the offer. She didn't even have the presence of mind to do that. She simply opened her door and walked stiffly around to the other side of her dusty-blue two door.

It wasn't until the two were half-way to Haruhi's house that she realized the car was even moving. Somehow, she'd been buckled in, Tamaki most likely having helped her. Tamaki once again had slipped the hand that wasn't steering into hers, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it with his thumb. He suspected something was off when Kyouya had asked Haruhi to speak with him privately.

"Haruhi?" She'd looked up when he'd said her name. "Did Kyouya say something that upset you?" Tamaki had once been best friends with Kyouya so he didn't mind if Kyouya said something offensive to him. But if Kyouya had hurt Haruhi, verbally or otherwise, Tamaki would make it very clear to Kyouya that Haruhi is _not_ someone Tamaki would allow Kyouya to upset.

"Huh?" Haruhi considered the question Tamaki was asking her. Maybe she was just over-reacting. Maybe Kyouya just didn't know how to express feelings of love well and did it the only way he knew how. Maybe he hadn't been angry when he stormed off, but had been sad and embarrassed. Haruhi even started to feel a little upset herself before she answered. "Oh. No. I'm sorry. I'm just being silly. So, did you enjoy your dinner?" Haruhi's tone had switched quickly from thoughtful and tentative, to bubbly and interested. Tamaki just _knew_ something had happened. But, obviously Haruhi did not want to talk about it, so he would not pressure her into doing so.

When the two were pulling onto Haruhi's street, she gasped and looked over at Tamaki.

"How are you going to get home!? Here, let me take you home first-"

"It's alright," Tamaki squeezed her hand in his, "I already called for my driver. He should be waiting for me when I get there." Tamaki put the parking brake on and pulled the keys from the ignition. Somewhere in a very small, non-distracted part of her brain, Haruhi thought it odd that even though he had personal drivers and limos take him everywhere, Tamaki could drive so well. She also thought that maybe she should have asked him if he _could_ drive before she had surrendered the driver's seat to him.

Before Haruhi even noticed Tamaki had gotten out of the car, he was around the car and opening her door for her.

"Are you sure you're alright, Haruhi?"

"Yah. I'm sorry. I must just be a little more tired than I thought." Haruhi felt the smallest twinge of guilt at lying to Tamaki. She quickly brushed it off though, as Tamaki placed his right hand on the small of her back, guiding her up her stairs, and to her front door.

Tamaki's hand pulled Haruhi to face him before falling, somewhat reluctantly, at his side.

Haruhi felt his hand turn her and she allowed it.

"Haruhi, I'm so glad that I got to visit with you before I left." Tamaki's tone fell on the last two words. Although her mind was elsewhere, Haruhi hate hearing Tamaki sound so despondent.

"So…are you just going to travel around New Zealand going to a bunch of different meetings?"

"No. Not mostly at least. I'll be spending most of my time in a small town named for the river that runs through it. Rangitikei." Haruhi had never heard of it. She hadn't expected to though, having never learned much about New Zealand other than its location on a map.

"How'd the guys take the news about you being gone?" Tamaki frowned slightly.

"I didn't tell them. I care about them very much but I cannot have them following me to New Zealand and bothering me when I'm trying to make such an important business deal." A little crease appeared in between Haruhi's eyebrows. She thought back to when Tamaki had mentioned his pending disinheritance.

"Tamaki, what happened that is so bad that you might be disinherited? I mean, I know you. You would never do anything against the law or disgraceful. What has your family so spooked that they would take away what you've worked your whole life to get?" Haruhi immediately realized she'd asked a much too personal question. "Oh Tamaki!" She waved her hands in front of her. "Don't answer that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I just-" Haruhi suddenly found speaking quite impossible. Tamaki had, in one swift motion, reached his hand behind Haruhi's back, pulled her forward, and placed his lips softly on hers. Later on, when considering the kiss, Haruhi would find it strange that she had surrendered so completely, so quickly, to Tamaki's kiss. She would wonder at how she could have responded without even the pretense of shyness or awkwardness at being kissed, so suddenly, by Tamaki. And even later, she would realize it was because it felt so right, so _perfect_, like it was the only thing she came to this earth to do. But now, as her body felt the shiver of electricity shoot from her toes to the crown of her head, she couldn't think or wonder anything.

Tamaki's lips moved slowly, tentatively. They were small kisses, barely discernable between the previous and the next. Their lips never fully pulled back before pulling into another kiss. Haruhi lips blindly followed Tamaki's as she floated along with sensation. Tamaki wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted but when _Tamaki_ thought on the kiss later, he would be sure it wasn't long enough. Now though, Tamaki's forehead rested against Haruhi's while they both took in breathy little gasps of air. For about three seconds, that is, until Tamaki jumped back from Haruhi as if he'd been burned.

"Haruhi! I'm so sorry! I just…I…I…" But Tamaki could explain why he'd done what he'd done. Haruhi had been asking him a question he couldn't answer, she'd been apologizing, and then he'd found his lips on hers. Had he wanted to _show_ her rather than tell her why he would be disinherited? Maybe it was because she looked so nervous and he'd just wanted to comfort her…? Or maybe simply because he'd wanted to do that since he'd first realized he didn't want her to call him "dad" anymore. Whatever the reason, Tamaki couldn't figure it out. But it didn't matter much because Haruhi had walked towards _him_ this time and said a blushing, "It's alright, Tamaki." Before pecking him quickly on the lips once more. Tamaki's smile couldn't possibly have been any bigger. "I'm gonna miss you…._so much_." That was when Tamaki smile proved it _could_ get bigger.

"_Haruhi…."_

"I uh, should go inside. It's a miracle my dad hasn't come out on the porch yet and killed you." Their eyes met somberly for a few seconds before they both burst into a fit of laughter. All the tension from the nerves of their first kiss was being laughed away at the notion of what Haurhi's father would do if he found _Tamaki kissing_ Haruhi.

Tamaki's laughter was the first to stop.

"Well," He sighed, sounded happy and reluctant at the same time, "I should let you go. I'm glad we got to spend time together, though. Even if it was in a hospital." Tamaki's lopsided smile made Haruhi forget all about the fear she'd felt inside that hospital. "And…Haruhi, I know something's bothering you, but I respect and understand that you don't want to talk about it right now. _But_, when you do, want to talk about it, I mean, I am just a phone call away." Haruhi smiled. "And I want to hear from you while I'm away."

"Alright, I'll be sure to call and check up. You know, to make sure you don't go into the wrong bathroom again." Tamaki blushed at remembering he'd told Haruhi that story a few days ago in the coffee shop. But, Tamaki laughed it off and just smiled at Haruhi. Smiled at the girl who made him feel like he'd never felt before. Safe. At home. And she made him feel the one thing that only one other person in his life had made him feel: _Loved. _ Even if he wasn't sure if it was the same kind of love he felt for her, Tamaki knew Haruhi loved him. He could live with a friendly love, if that was all she could offer him, if she couldn't love him how he loved her. But he didn't want to. That last thought soured Tamaki's high a little.

"I, uh, I'm gonna get going." Tamaki stepped forward and the two hugged rather awkwardly, considering what they had just done, and Haruhi gave Tamaki another peck, on the cheek this time.

"I hope your trip goes really well and that whatever you want to happen with this business deal happens." Tamaki smiled.

"Thank-you, Haruhi." Tamaki suddenly looked down at his feet. "And, please, remember what we talked about. I promise I'll explain everything the second I get back. In fact, I'll call you when I know the day that I'm flying home and if you're free I'd love it if you let me take you out that night." Haruhi beamed at Tamaki.

"Ok. It's a date."

"I look forward to it. Good-bye, Haruhi." After making sure she got inside the house alright, Tamaki left. Haruhi peeked from her front window to make sure Tamaki was telling the truth about having a driver pick him up. As soon and she pulled the curtain over, Haruhi saw him climbing into a black town car and absently wondered why she hadn't seen it when she'd come up the stairs. She brushed the thought away and slumped against the door.

'_What a night!'_ Haruhi decided what she really needed was a bath. A nice warm bath to relax her. After that, she would watch some television and make something for her father to eat when he got home from work, where she assumed he must be. _'Strange though….'_ Haruhi had thought her father had taken the night off- '_oh.'_ Addressed to her, surrounded by penciled in hearts, was a quick note from her father saying that he had been desperately needed at the bar and that he was sorry and would be home as soon as he could.

"Alright, then," Haruhi sighed to herself. Just then realizing she hadn't put flipped any lights on, Haruhi reached out to do just that.

"Ugh! He forget to pay the electric bill!" Haruhi had often felt bad about leaving her father because didn't get along very well by himself. She felt her way into the main room and off into the doorway of her room to grab the flashlight out of her dresser drawer.

"I know it's in here-" Haruhi's mouth and nose were suddenly covered in a horrid smelling rag and her head and body were being held in place from behind. Haurhi's eyes bugged and she twisted her body in an effort to escape. But as she twisted more and her breathing increased, Haruhi started to feel her eyes droop and her body sag. She tried to stop her eyes from closing and keep from succumbing to her sudden drowsiness but she knew she was quickly losing the battle. The last thing Haruhi felt before her eyes shut completely was a pair of long thin finger caressing her cheek.

A/N: Cliffie, huh? Sorry, but, it had to be done. P.s. Rangitikei is an actual river in New Zealand. This writer hopes on day to visit it.


	6. Stolen

Before Haruhi even opened her eyes or realized where she was, she rolled her head to the side and vomited. She had a splitting headache, her throat was raw and her eyes were burning. Ether. She knew it. A vague memory floated among the cloud in Haruhi's mind.

'_Diethyl Ether. It is a colorless, volatile, liquid with a very characteristic smell. Once used as an anesthetic, Ether has many unpleasant side effects. Anything from cough, sore throat, and red eyes to a headache, drowsiness, labored breathing and nausea can occur. Vomiting is also very common.'_

She remembered her professor ddefining it during the case her law class had been studying. A young child had been thought to have run away. And since there had been no signs of a struggle in his room and no blood, there had been no reason to suspect foul play. An ether soaked rag that had been kicked under the bed had been the thing that finally tipped investigators off to the boy's capture. The kidnapper, who had turned out to be the ex-husband of the boy's mother, had soaked the rag in ether and placed it over the boy's face as he slept. It would have knocked the boy unconscious before he woke, which would have allowed there to be no struggle or evidence of a kidnapping. This caused Haruhi to think back. She didn't remember kicking anything or struggling for very long before she lost consciousness. Her father might assume she was still with Tamaki. Tamaki wouldn't notice her absence because he would be in another country. The only other hope she had was the host club, but they were all visiting family. There would be no evidence that she had been kidnapped. It may take days for someone to realize something was wrong. Did she even have _days_ left? This thought made Haruhi's head hurt and her stomach sink which in turn caused her to lean over and vomit again. This was when Haruhi realized her lower half was tied down. And that she had a small plastic hose coming out of her arm. She froze. '_What is going on!?'_ As she lay still, she noticed that she could hear a whispered conversation nearby. One voice sounded scared and submissive. The other was angry and commanding. Somewhere in the back of her fogged mind, Haruhi knew she knew who that voice belonged to. But, right now, she was too busy trying to figure out where she was and what had happened.

"Ah. My dear. I see that you've finally woken up." Haruhi hadn't heard the voices stop. She'd been too preoccupied. The angry voice from before was the one speaking to her. She tried to cry out. To yell and ask where she was. But, her voice wouldn't quite work just yet. All the sound she could muster from her throat was a small, gurgled squeak.

"Junichi! Why is she still unable to speak? I told you to fix her." The angry voice ground out, "I want to get all of this underway as soon as possible. But, how can I do that if she can't even speak!?"

"W-we-well, under normal circumstances sir….yes. But as I explained to you, it is a very unpredictable gas if not used in the exact right amounts and sir, well, you were a little…._overzealous _with the amount of-" Haruhi heard a quick scuffle and a high squeak.

"Well women are better when silent anyway. Just tell me when she will be ready to leave." She could almost feel the frustration in the man's voice.

"Another hour at the most, Mr. Ootori." Haruhi's eyes shot open and she nearly choked on her own tongue.

Kyouya walked around to the front of the stretcher where Haruhi was tied and smiled.

"Good. I can't have my new wife being sick for our honeymoon, now can I?"

A/N: I'm not dead, I swear! A lot has been going on. I've had a lot of Doctors appts to try and figure what's making me sick, I've been helping my Bff with her wedding (which is in 13 days), I've been working, and I've been figuring what to bring with me to college because break is over soon and I leave for Idaho again in 14 days. Anyway, I know this is also a cliffie but those make the best chapters in my opinion because it keeps you craving more : ) Oh and sorry about the extreme shortness of this chapter but I should have a longer one coming soon. Thanks for reading!

**'Junichi' (when used as a male name) means _obedient one_, thought it fit well :p **


	7. Rangitikei

"No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its power of acting and reasoning as fear"-Edward Burke

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi was standing in a warmly decorated dining room. The diners were chatting softly and enjoying their meals, seemingly unaware that Haruhi was standing there. She walked around the tables in a trance not quite knowing how she got there or what she was doing there. That was when she saw it. Standing not 10 feet from Haruhi was a pair of people she knew very well.

"I found myself wanting you. And Haruhi, do you know what is nice about being the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation? I get what I want." Haruhi's heart slammed against her ribcage as she realized what she was watching. "Haruhi, marry me. Give me your persuasion and your skill." She wanted desperately to warn the girl standing in front of her to run away, to hide, to not go into her house alone. But, when she tried to call out, her voice was swallowed in the thick mist that was suddenly swirling around her and tugging her backwards. "Give me your attentions and your body. Marry me and give me you." When Haruhi tried harder and reached out to grab her image, her hand started to fade. And as Haruhi made a final desperate lunge toward her dream self, she was swallowed up in the dense, suffocating mist.

Haruhi woke up gasping, with her mind strangely clear. She sat up slowly, still a little dizzy. Although she still didn't know where she was, she immediately remembered why she was there. A sob almost broke loose from Haruhi before she realized that she needed to be strong, to think. She couldn't let herself get distracted, she needed to think. Problem was, the only thing she could think was how angry and scared she was. And as her mind kept drifting to back to her nightmare, she was only getting angrier.

"give me…give me…give me…" The whole sickening scene kept replaying in her mind. It was all about what he wanted, what he would be getting out of it. She wished she had hurt Kyouya, wished she'd embarrassed and humiliated him. Wished she torn out his heart, stepped on it, and handed it back to him. But she hadn't. It wouldn't have mattered either way. He would have come for her no matter what she said. And…. It's not like he even had a heart to break anyway.

"Finally awake." A door slammed open behind Haruhi, startling her. "Seems the ether wasn't fully out of your system yet, you passed right out after my little announcement. Rather rude, actually."

"You!" Haruhi ground out.

"Yes, me." Kyouya sounded wholly unconcerned. He walked around to the foot of the bed she was laying on, examining his nails in that irritating, unbothered way. "Have you decided then?" Although she was upset she couldn't stop the question she blurted out next.

"Decided what!?"

"Where we will be living of course. I mean, as your husband I should at least listen to where you'd like to live the rest of your life. Because, we can't very well live in Japan now can we? I'd never be able to let you leave the house. Not that you're going to leave it that often anyway, but, well, I can't imagine you'd be able to tend to the yard-work from inside the house." Haruhi looked appalled at Kyoua. She had stopped listening after he said the word _'husband'_.

"You…you're _not_ my husband."

"Actually, you'll find that I am. And you, my dear, are my wife. I pulled a few strings and it's all legal. At least as far as the computer records know. No one actually has to know you didn't agree to it, because frankly, that's a trivial little detail."

"So, dear, where will it be? France, Spain, Russia? I can run the business from anywhere in the world so no need to worry. But choose soon, my patience is short to begin with. Then, I had to wait for you to recover. So choose." Haruhi just stared, mouth agape, at Kyouya. What was going on!? She was _married_!? She didn't really doubt that he told the truth about being legally married. Not only did Kyouya never lie, but he had connections so numerous and strong that it scared her to think about all the things he could do. Haruhi heard Kyouya's jaw click and saw his deep scowl.

"Choose. My patience wears thin." Haruhi wanted to argue, to struggle. But her survival instinct kicked in, willing her to think of something to do. _'Think, Haruhi, think!'_ Where could she go where she could escape? Japan? No he said that wasn't option. America? No, she didn't speak the language, who would she be able to find to help her there? Completely unbidden, Haruhi saw the smiling face of a very dear friend float in her mind. Oh how she wished Tamaki was here to save her. How she wished he wasn't on that darn…that darn…_business trip!!!!_

"Rangitikei!" Haruhi looked up just as Kyouya pulled his hand back, looking as if he were about to slap her.

"What?" Kyouya drawled out, an irritated sneer firmly in place.

"Rangitikei. It's uh, it's in New Zealand." The resulting look Kyouya gave her was one of suspicion.

"Why?" _'Oh. Oh no.'_ Haruhi hadn't thought about him asking _why_ she wanted to go to that place. Thinking quickly, Haruhi spat out,

"Tv! I saw it on Tv once. It's uh, really, it's really," Haruhi really had no idea what Rangitikei looked like so she settled for a safe adjective, "pretty." Kyouya waved a guard over that she had not noticed before and whisper to him. After a moment, Kyouya clenched his jaw and looked back at Haruhi.

"Very well. We leave in one hour." Haruhi's heart stopped. Realization hit her like a waterfall. She was leaving Japan. Her home. She was going so many miles away from home, away from all but one hope for safety that she had. She may never see her father again if her plan didn't work out. She wouldn't see the twins, or Mori and Hunny, or…or Tamaki. The door slammed shut behind Haruhi just as she let a true sob loose. _'Tamaki, please. Save me.'_

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi didn't remember much from the plane ride. She barely even remembered getting on the plane. She remembered being shoved out of her bed and how badly her head and her eyes burned from crying. Everything after that was a blur. And now, she was so many miles from home, from any form of safety from Kyouya. _'Kyouya….'_ She had once held him in very high esteem. He had been a good friend of hers and she had _once_ admired his drive and determination and how he would do anything to get what he wanted. She once wished she could be like him. But now….now she hated him. _'I should have known.'_ Kyouya had recently become much more intimidating to be around. Every time she visited the rest of the host club, or they visited her, Kyouya would sit off to the side and would glance quite often at her. That had been unsettling. But, it had actually started to creep Haruhi out. Kyouya had found out her class schedule the semester before. At first she thought it was weird but she figured Kyouya was just that way. He knew a lot about a lot of people. But one day, she found out one of his family employed police had been following her, watching her, since the beginning of the semester. Feeling uncomfortable with the situation Haruhi had confronted Kyouya about it. Kyouya denied the accusation and Haruhi may have believed him, if the stalking had not stopped that next day. Haruhi could only shudder at what Kyouya would do to the spy that had allowed himself to be seen. Looking back it had been so _obvious_ but Haruhi just hadn't been able to think one of her good friends had anything but good intentions towards her. She wanted to slap herself. Not that it would do any good.

"Mrs. Ootori?" Haruhi just shook her head in her hands. She was curled up in her chair with her knees at her neck.

"Mrs. Ootori?" It wasn't like she _actually_ had a chance at seeing Tamaki. She didn't even know how large Rangitikei was or what area of Rangitikei Tamaki would be in. _Why in the world_ did she choose a place so far from Japan!?

"Mrs. Ootori?" A hand touched Haruhi's shoulder lightly, causing her to jump and look up. "A thousand apologies Mrs. Ootori but I was told to escort you off the plane and to-" the man was momentarily fazed when he saw Haruhi's bloodshot eyes and blotchy face but cleared his throat and continued. "-to the car." It just now registered that the man had been calling _her_ Mrs. Ootori. She was so caught up in being so far from home that she had completely forgotten Kyouya had found a way to make them married. And remembering only sent her into a fresh round of sobs. The man looked away and, as gently as possible, lifted Haruhi from her seat as one would with a small child, and carried her to the waiting car.

~~Stolen~~

Now that the electricity and excitement of their first kiss had worn off, Tamaki couldn't help but be angry at himself for taking advantage of Haruhi like that. He'd know that she'd never kissed anyone before. Even though she'd returned the kiss, and then kissed him again, of her own accord, he was _still_ angry at himself. He was taught always to be a gentleman, no matter what. And he had stepped all over that teaching when he'd pulled Haruhi in to kiss him. But, man, had he enjoyed it. He'd wanted to do that for so long.

"Would you care for a drink, ?" Tamaki looked at the attendant, eyes glassy from thinking about his love.

"Hm?"

"I was just wondering if you would care for a drink, sir." Tamaki sighed, shaking his head dreamily. The attendant watched as Tamaki's eyes turned back to the window and continued staring, unblinking, out the window. Shaking his head, the attendant turned at went back to the front of the private jet. There was just no reaching Tamaki when he was thinking about Haruhi, his love interest, especially recently.

Tamaki sighed again and wondered thoughtfully to himself about what Haruhi was doing at that moment.

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi was laid gently in the backseat of the black car that was waiting, already running, on the tarmac.

"How was the flight?" Haruhi jumped again, having not noticed Kyouya's presence at first. His question sounded unconcerned to Haruhi so she just didn't answer. Haruhi heard Kyouya look up from his clipboard. "I will not have my wife acting like a child. I asked you how your flight was and I expect an answer." Haruhi could tell he was already angry but was still too stubborn to respond. Kyouya's hand shot out and grabbed Haruhi's wrist, his jaw was clenched and he was glaring at her. "Answer. Me." A small sob escaped Haruhi that she quickly turned into a hiccup.

"Long." Was all Haruhi could say before looking away. Kyouya's hand slid slowly from Haruhi's wrist.

"Now, that wasn't so bad. You are a far way from home right now, so I'll let that little insurrection pass. But this will be your home from now on and I am your husband. SO, next time I ask a question you _will_ answer." Kyouya let the threat go unspoken, hanging menacingly in the air for a few moments before tapping on the glass the separated the driver from the passengers signaling that he should start driving. Haruhi let another tear slip down her face before putting her head to the cool glass to await her new life in Rangitikei.

A/N: Sorry story took so long to update. I have been busy with school and am trying to do whatever I can for money right now (I have resorted to selling plasma twice a week, which, if any of you have ever done so, know that it's an uncomfortable and tiring process.). Thank you to all the loyal readers out there! Review make my plasma grow back faster :p haha.


	8. Last Hope, Lost Hope

"Abandon every hope, ye who enter here" – Dante Alighieri.

~~Stolen~~

It was strange. Haruhi had never felt like such a complete contradiction. The sky outside of the car was a flawless blue and the sun was completely unblocked by any of the large, white clouds floating so peacefully in the crisp air. The countryside flew by; boasting brilliant green hills and many clear ribbons of the local river the town was named after. Animals grazed peacefully, completely undisturbed by anything that may have been going on around them. Haruhi felt a storm inside her. She felt sky crying, raining down its sorrow onto what would have been a muddy mass of churned grass and terrified animals. She felt the sun hiding, too dejected to break through. She felt horrid and wholly unlike the perfect ease of the country she was in. It didn't help that she'd been stuck in this car for so long. Kyouya had mentioned, offhandedly, that there were _very_ few private landing strips in New Zealand. Something about protecting the countryside, it's wildlife, and the farmers that used this land to live off of.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki's plane landed right on schedule. He wouldn't have cared either way but he figured it would be nice to be able to get settled into the house he was renting before leaving tonight, maybe take a nap.

"Your car is waiting, sir." Tamaki's walk was undaunted and slow. He wasn't really nervous about any of the meetings he would be going to this month. Without being prideful, Tamaki still knew he had the skill to win people over. It wasn't an intention and it definitely wasn't a trick. Tamaki just liked being cheerful and pleasing others. And, it just so happens that others liked being pleased and smiled at. Also, he suspected, his years in the host club had honed some of his people skills.

"Afternoon, sir. We will be going straight to the house. Will that be alright, or does the young master have somewhere else he wishes to visit before he retires?" Tamaki looked up from his seat in the towncar.

"No. To the house will be fine, thank-you."

"Very well, sir." The car immediately started to move. Not one to miss beautiful scenery, even if he did have paperwork to complete, Tamaki looked out the window. But, before he could even notice much of the scenery, something caught Tamaki's eye. There was another private jet on the runway. He realized, of course, that he was not the only one in the world with a private jet but there was something that unsettled Tamaki about this jet. It was…familiar somehow. Snatches of a memory flashed behind Tamaki's eyelids as he tried to remember where he'd seen it before. Who did he already know that had a private jet and would be in New Zealand, of all places?

~~Stolen~~

She had stopped crying a short while ago. Her head throbbed and her eye were so swollen she could barely see. But, that was not why she had stopped. Kyouya had tolerated her crying for only a short while before ordering, none too gently, that she stop. As defiant as she normally would have been, she was too frightened to do anything but comply.

"Get out." Kyouya had already left the car and was walking up the drive to a house Haruhi assumed would be her new residence. Silently, Haruhi followed Kyouya up the flagstone path. As she glanced at the house, Haruhi noticed it was a western style, medium sized house. The one story house was wide and deep. It looked like there may be around 3 bedrooms inside. The outside of the house was neatly landscaped and had spacious side and back yards. When Haruhi reached the front door, she stopped immediately. She felt her heart rate spike. What was she doing? She was following her kidnapper, so completely submissive, into an unknown house. _What was she_ doing!? There were houses maybe a few miles up the hill that she could see. Maybe if she ran fast enough- Kyouya must have felt her stop behind him.

"Don't try to escape. It would be a fruitless effort and I would be forced to employ even stronger measures to keep you here than I already plan on." A violent shiver tore down Haruhi's spine. He knew. He always knew everything. And she knew. She knew that he was right. He would catch her.

"Inside. Now." Haruhi's hand lingered on the door jamb a moment longer before she stepped over the threshold.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki had tried to forget about that jet but he had been unable to. It was so strange. He normally would not have paid such a situation much more than a few seconds of concentration. But he just could not, no matter how he tried, get this sick feeling out of his stomach that he needed to know who that jet belonged to. Even when Tamaki had reached the rental house, he had been unable to let this little mystery go. Something was off. Something was _wrong_.

~~Stolen~~

The morning dawned dark and angry. Large, ominous black clouds surged in the sky. The weather had taken a quick turn for the worst last night. Hunny, Mori, and the twins had barely reached their homes when the sky started to throw gales of ice down onto the already frozen earth. The wind had started earlier, nearly pushing the cars off the road with the force of its thrust. The storm raged all through the night, only letting up in the slightest in the early hours of the morning. The wind still blew, but the barrage of ice and snowed had slowed for the most part. An ugly Christmas Eve to say the least.

"Kaoru, wake up" Hikaru nudged his twin in the side. Kaoru only turned over with an angry murmur. "Kaoru-" _Beepbeepbeepbeep. Beepbeepbeepbeep._ Kaoru grunted and reached for his phone causing Hikaru to roll his eyes at his twin's willingness to wake for anything other than him.

"Ngh?" Kaoru grunted into the phone. Kaoru's eyebrows knit together as he listened to whoever was speaking on the other line and quickly frowned when it seemed the other line had finished and hung up. Maybe ten seconds later, Hikaru's phone buzzed once, signifying that he had a new voicemail. Hikaru had turned his phone on vibrate last night when Tamaki's grandmother had called several times to see if he knew the whereabouts of her 'disobedient' grandson. Hikaru bent to retrieve it. Kaoru was about to climb out of his side of the bed when he heard a familiar voice and tone on the other end of Hikaru's phone. Leaning close, Kaoru listened to Hikaru's voicemail. When the message was finished, Hikaru looked confused and turned to his brother only to cringe slightly at the look Kaoru was wearing.

"That was the _exact_ same thing she said to me when she called a moment ago…only, mine wasn't a voicemail." Kaoru's brows drew even closer together. Hikaru didn't like the tone of his brother's voice; it disturbed him slightly.

"Don't look too much into it, you're just jumpy because of the storm…" Kaoru was not convinced in the slightest. Something was wrong. His spine was tingling in that annoying way, but he would let it go for now. He didn't want to worry his brother, especially the day before Christmas.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki looked at himself in the mirror. He supposed he looked nice. His hair was neatly brushed and he wore a handsome black tux with a tasteful bow tie. His shoes were polished to a bright shine and coordinated attractively with his square, black cuff links. Tamaki let loose a quiet sigh. As much as he wanted this position, he did not want to be here at this moment. And if he had to, he would have rather Haruhi been with him. He knew, though, that had he brought her with him, he would want to spend all his time with her and would feel poorly the whole time about leaving her to sit alone in the rental house all day. A quick glance at his watch let Tamaki know he needed to leave soon if he wanted to be on time. It was the night that the company would be announcing its plans to branch out into a few other countries and the pending relocation of its headquarters to Japan. Tamaki was going to be there to not only give a small speech on the great business opportunities waiting in Japan but also to make sure he kept his foot in the door for his desired position; CEO of the Japanese branch.

~~Stolen~~

Hunni picked a towel off a bamboo bench placed at the side of the large dojo. He'd had quite the exhilarating practice today. He had been disappointed when his cousin, Mori, had been unable to join him because of road closures, but had his spirits quickly lifted when his brother, Chika, had volunteered to replace Mori. Picking the few personal belongings he had brought with him up so he could leave, Hunni heard something clatter on the floor. Bending to retrieve the phone, Hunni felt it buzz in his hands. He'd missed a call. Curious, Hunni dialed his voicemail to listen to who had called him.

When the message was finished, Hunni closed his phone slowly, his eyebrows knit closely together. _'How strange…'_

~~Stolen~~

"Ladies, gentlemen. The relocation of this company's headquarters to Japan would not only-" As far as Tamaki could tell, the night was going very well. He'd already had the chance to impress the current CEO of the Rangitikei branch, and acting owner of the company, and he'd been practicing this speech so often, so his accent would not make him hard to understand, that he could do it straight from memory. He had no worries at all about making a good impression. But still, he felt his night ruined by excessive feelings of unwarranted worry. He did not understand what had him so spooked. He knew, though, that he needed to brush it off if he wanted to remain looking one-hundred percent alert and interested. Although, it was proving to be easier said than done.

~~Stolen~~

Hunni ran to the door. Mori had finally been able to make it through the road blocks to his house. When Hunni answered the door, Mori's eyes were unfocused and he appeared to be listening to a message on his phone. A second later, Mori looked down at Hunni and slid his phone shut.

"From Haruhi?" Hunni asked suspiciously.

"Hn."

~~Stolen~~

A sharp pain in Haruhi's ankle halted her bursting sobs. Kyouya stood over her, a long, round needle in his hand.

"A precaution, my dear. Should you try and escape, I'll know as soon as you step foot out of the yard." And with that, he left her to continue her crying. Haruhi couldn't stop replaying the scene from this morning that had brought her so low.

_After Haurhi had closed the door, Kyouya grabbed Haruhi's wrist, none too gently, and sat her down at a side table with a small tape recorder placed on its side._

_"Read this." Kyouya shoved a piece of paper into Haruhi's hand and pushed the tape recorder next to her mouth. Haruhi glanced at the words on the page. She knew things would only get worse if she didn't listen to him but she couldn't make her mouth move._

_"Read!" Kyouya's teeth were clenched together, making the command come out slightly muffled. He'd grabbed low on her cheeks with his thumb and ring finger so tightly that Haruhi could taste the blood on her cheek where her tooth had bit into it. He pushed her face closer to the paper. Hesitating only a second longer, Haruhi managed to squeak out:_

_"This is Haruhi. I'm calling to let…to let you know that I will be out of the country for a few months while I t-take care of some business. You won't be able to get into contact with me." Kyouya clicked the tape recorder off and Haruhi looked up, confused. Kyouya's sick smile was back on his face._

_"Can't have our dear friends wondering where you went off to, now can we?" It took Haruhi a moment to realize what Kyouya was saying. When understanding finally hit her, it hit hard. Kyouya would get that message to all her friends somehow. No one would see her as 'missing'. Not Hunni, Mori, the twins, or…or Tamaki. Haruhi's only hope had been completely undone by the simple act of reading a piece of paper. It was gone, all gone. She had no hope left, no chance of being saved left. Haruhi hit the floor hard and sobbed. Kyouya, having left the room immediately after having his order fulfilled, did not even hear her despair._

A/N: Not much to say here. I had writer's block and I've been busy. I got a new car (a Mazda Miata) (not that that is significant, I just like saying it  ) P.S. I WANT DISNEY'S TARZAN ON DVD!!!!!!!!!!!! Review PLEASE!


	9. The Promise

A/N: So, before I write anything else, let me correct a couple of mistakes in the previous chapter, "Last Hope, Lost Hope". 1. Sometimes when I am writing something, I see it in my mind and it makes sense in my mind so I mess up and forget to elaborate on the details of the situation. So, I mentioned that Haruhi had an injection in her ankle. I will make the _'why'_ or rather the _'what´ _clear in this chapter. I apologize for any raised eyebrows or confusion about that. 2. Also, I forgot about the kiss that Haruhi accidentally got at the Host Club Ball. Please forgive me because: I am lazy and won't go back and change it. So, let's just assume that Tamaki blocked that "horrible accident" out of his mind and does not consider it a real kiss because neither participant was willing. Thanks to those who helped me find and correct my mistakes, it lets me know people are reading my work. Please continue reading and reviewing!! (P.S. I'm probably asking a stupid question here but do any of you attend BYU-I?)

"When a man repeats a promise again and again, he means to fail you"--Proverb

~~Stolen~~

"Haruuuuhiiiiii!?" Ryoji Fujioka was, once again, home late from work. Not only had he been called in on his night off, but he'd had to stay late to entertain a curiously large amount of customers. And, oddly enough, many of the new customers wanted "Ranka" to be their host"ess". While he was glad for the extra tips, Ryoji felt himself deflate even further when his daughter did not answer him back. He hated leaving Haruhi alone. While he felt the burden of having to be both a mother and a father, he also felt the burden of not being able to do either properly because of his job.

"Haruhi? My beautiful daughter, I'm sorry I left! I promise I'll make it up-" Ryoji stopped in Haruhi's doorway. Haruhi wasn't in her bedroom. And she wasn't in the bathroom; the door was wide open.

"Haruhi! If you're hiding, papa doesn't find it funny!" Ryoji looked around, a small panic growing in his chest. "Haruhi, I'm serious!....HARUHI!?" No answer. It was well past 3 o'clock, Haruhi had _never_ been out that late, and she _never_ forgot to leave a note. Ryoji pulled his phone from his bag and called the first person he thought might know Haruhi's location.

~~Stolen~~

"Thank you, sir. I've always had-" Tamaki didn't know how many hands he'd shaken that night and he hoped he wouldn't have to continue doing so for much longer. His speech had gone well, _very _well. Apparently, Tamaki was, as the company's vice president had put it, 'just what they'd been hoping for'. This, of course, was welcome news. Tamaki could pretty much predict that he would be getting the position he was vying for. He had the experience, knowledge, and inherent ability that the job called for so he hadn't had much of a doubt that he would get the position. But, hearing those words from the second in command had his spirits pretty high. He wanted to be able to give Haruhi everything she deserved. She wouldn't ask for or want much, but he would spend everything down to his last penny if need be to make sure Haruhi had every single thing he thought she deserved. This job would ensure he could make that dream a reality.

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. He made small talk, shook about 50 more hands, and even had the daughters of wealthy businessmen paraded in front of him in hopes he would choose one to settle with. Tamaki was polite when this happened but couldn't help the less than courteous sneer his mind was giving each father and daughter pair. He loved Haruhi. He was doing all this for Haruhi, and, with her permission, he would marry Haruhi_. No one else_ would_ ever_ do. Tamaki sighed as he walked out into the light drizzle of the evening, not waiting for his limo driver to get an umbrella over him. He really missed her.

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi hadn't moved from her spot on the floor in the front room. She was unsure how long it had been. Minutes, hours, she didn't know. The only indication that any time had passed was the steadily falling sun Haruhi saw when she lifted her head. Haruhi groaned. Everything was wrong. It was _all wrong!_ She wasn't supposed to be here right now. She was supposed to be at home with her father, sipping cocoa, telling him she'd missed him, and hoping Tamaki would call. Tamaki. Although she was in the worst position of her life she couldn't help but spend a second of thought on what he might be doing at this moment. Was he in New Zealand already? Did he know she was missing? Had Kyouya played Haruhi's voice over the phone to throw Tamaki off? Haruhi groaned again. Sobbing would have been more appropriate, considering the way Haruhi felt, but she just couldn't find the strength. She'd been crying for so long. A noise in the doorway next to her startled Haruhi. Kyouya cleared his throat, ensuring he had her attention and would be heard.

"I assume you've finished with your asinine little tantrum." Kyouya punctuated his statement with a derisive glare.

"Asanine!?" Haruhi may not have had it in her to cry anymore but Kyouya's words set her blood boiling. "You _bastard!_ You steal me away, marry me _without_ my consent, and then have me _lie_ to all my friends that I'm safe away somewhere! How dare you!? How dare you treat me like some spoiled child! I am _not-_" The back of Kyouya's hand struck Haruhi's cheek with blinding force, knocking her backwards.

"You will _never_ speak to me in the tone again. And you will _never_ raise your voice to, around, or about me. Is this understood?" Kyouya's voice had a sharp chill to it that was managed without it even being raised. Haruhi just stared at Kyouya, breathing hard. "I said, '_is this understood?'_" Haruhi spat at his feet. Faster than it seemed possible, Kyouya had Haruhi by the collar, his hot, wet breath burning her face. "You _bitch_," Kyouya pushed Haruhi roughly away from him, "you answer me when I ask you a question. I own you. You are not, nor will you even be, on the same level as me. You have not yet realized the gravity of your situation but. Although, the solution is easy. You simply need to be broken. And do not doubt that I _will_ break you." As afraid as Haruhi knew she should be, she was infinitely more infuriated at what Kyouya had said.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way! You are not my superior, I do _not _belong to you, and I will _not_ do what you say." Kyouya's foot struck out against Haruhi where she was still sitting. His voice was saccharine,

"Oh but you'll find that I am, you do, and you _will_." Kyouya bent swiftly to kneel above Haruhi and grabbed her arms to pull them above her head. "In fact, I think it's high time for a demonstration. I mean, it _is_ our honeymoon." Haruhi's eyes immediately pulled wide.

"Kyouya, no! Get off me!" Kyouya's reply was simple.

"No." Haruhi screamed as Kyouya pushed his lips onto hers. She kicked and twisted fiercely trying to throw Kyouya off her. Sneering, Kyouya pulled back. "This won't work if you're going to fight."

"Get off me! Don't touch me!" She continued struggling under him. Obviously frustrated, Kyouya managed to get his tie off and down to Haruhi's hand using only one of his. With the help of his teeth, Kyouya pulled the knot tight around Haruhi's wrist and quickly secured the rest of the tie around her wrists and a heavy wooden desk leg. Satisfied with his handiwork, Kyouya looked down at his prey,

"Much better," he purred.

"Get off!! STOP!! GET OFF!!" Kyouya knees dug forcefully into Haruhi's side and Kyouya mouth went down to silence her protests. Haruhi gasped at the pain. Kyouya ground his pelvis into Haruhi's, making her heave. Now that Kyouya's hands were free, he used them to push Haruhi's shirt up, revealing her creamy stomach. He smiled against her mouth. Pulling back Kyouya groaned. He'd been continuously grinding against Haruhi and she could feel the evidence against her inner thigh. It was sickening. But disgust wasn't the emotion on the forefront of her mind; it was fear. She wasn't naïve. She knew exactly what was going on. And she knew Kyouya wouldn't stop. But….she had to try.

"Kyouya, no! Please!" Kyouya's tongue drew a slick trail from her navel to her chin.

"Why, _sweetheart_," the word was a taunt, "we _are_ married." Kyouya's hands found her chest.

"_Please! Please _stop!" Haruhi struggled fruitlessly in an effort to free herself. Kyouya's face went sour and he slammed his hand across Haruhi's face again, momentarily stunning her.

"Shut. Up." Kyouya reached down an unbuttoned her pants so he could slide them down her legs. This sent Haruhi screaming.

"Kyouya, _please no, please_! Please stop! Please, I'll do anything! STOP!" Kyouya grabbed Haruhi's face roughly between his two hands.

"What!? Why!? What will you do for me!? This is my right as your husband." Tears ran down Haruhi's face, leaving trails of hot salt on her skin.

"P-please," Haruhi stuttered, "please don't. I-I'm" Haruhi thought fast. She knew Kyouya wouldn't care that she didn't want him. She had to come up with a reason that would stall him long enough that she could figure something out. "not ready yet. I'm not ready. I don't-I've never had…so I'm not ready. Don't do this. Wait." Kyouya's mouth turned down into a twisted frown.

"Wait for what?"

"When I'm ready. A month. I need a month. Please. Give me that. I'll do whatever else you want. I'll stay. I won't run, I'll do whatever, just please…" Rage shook Kyouya's frame.

"You're ready because I _say_ you're ready!"

"_Please!_" Kyouya's nostrils flared and he hesitated.

"Everything!" Haruhi didn't understand. "You will do _everything_ I ask. You will clean, you will stay silent until I tell you to speak, you will not run, and you will _cater_ to my…needs," Bile rose in Haruhi's mouth "for a month. And for that month, you will remain," Kyouya's hand waved around her upper thighs, "intact. But after that month, you _will_ give yourself to me." So shocked she could barely stutter, Haruhi simply nodded. Roughly, Kyouya undid her binding and stood over Haruhi. He wasn't an idiot. He knew Haruhi didn't want him. He wouldn't have cared. He wouldn't have listened and taken her anyway, but he was a businessman and he knew to look at every angle of a proposition to find a way to exploit a benefit the other had no idea they were giving. Sure, he'd have to wait a little longer to have Haruhi the way he'd dreamed and fantasized about for so long, but it would be almost as good to have her so docile and obedient. That was one thing he couldn't deny got him completely hot; submission. He would enjoy having Haruhi bend to his every, well, _nearly_ every, whim. And he would eventually have her when the month was up, whether she was ready or not.

"You have to know I'll be gone by then." Haruhi's sounded much braver than she felt for a moment until she realized what she'd just done. She'd given Kyouya a reason to break the deal less than 30 seconds since it had been made.

"I highly doubt that." Kyouya sneered. "That chip I injected into your ankle is a tracker. It sends out a signal that lets me know exactly where you are at all times. And, should you step foot outside the grounds of this house without my command, not only will I be immediately notified, but a very small dose of a highly volatile neurotoxin will leak from the chip rendering you useless and limp. Then, I'll have to put another chip in you. Which will not only be a bother because they are extremely pricey but because I can promise you I will not be nearly as gentle as I was before with your little injection. But, believe me. If I even thought for a second you could truly ever escape me, I would not have stopped." Haruhi's breath stopped in her throat at Kyouya's words. "Come. You sleep in _my _bed." Kyouya moved to go to one of what Haruhi assumed was one of the bedrooms but turned to glance at Haruhi before he disappeared around the corner,

"Oh. By the way, your father called. Wants to know how his sweet Haruhi is doing."

Que Kyouya's evil laugh! So this chapter gave me major fits! I mean like rolling-around-on-it's-belly-screaming-in-the-middle-of-the-store-temper-tantrums. It just did NOT want to come together. Maybe you can see that in its quality but I needed to get over this hurdle so I could get on with the story. Anyway, MERRY _CHRIST_MAS!! Hope you all get what you asked Santa for (I wanted to get this out by Christmas as my little Christmas gift to you) and that you remember the reason for the season!!


	10. Deceit

**A/N: Major writers block and a very busy schedule. Sorry. Hopefully much more to come soon! On with the story!**

"**To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none."—Sir Francis Bacon.**

"Please! You have to help me!"

"You said she was on her way home from college?" The officer's tone was bored and unfeeling.

"Yes, but she said she'd be back by now. But, she's not back and she didn't call!" Ryoja Fujjioka was shaking, his voice high and wavering.

"You're going to have to calm down sir. It's winter. She probably got caught in a storm and stopped to rest somewhere for the night. As for her not calling, I know that my own children use their phones until the battery dies before they'll get the sense to charge them."

"Haruhi's not like that! She always remembers _everything_."

"Sir, please," the officer pried Ryoja's pale hands from the edge of his desk, "even if something was wrong, I cannot put out a missing persons alert for at least another 18 hours or so."

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya slammed his phone down on the desk, putting a thin crack in the screen. He'd been bombarded with calls from the other hosts since he'd called each one of them, delivering Haruhi's pre-recorded message. He had not counted on the tenacity of each host. Kyouya knew he'd have to eventually call each one of them and feign innocence but now was not the time. He was having a hard enough time as it was getting his work to himself without giving away his location. Very few of his most trusted employees knew of his whereabouts and even fewer knew his true intentions for moving there.

Kyouya knew what he had to do; it was the only way to throw the others off his scent trail. He'd have to call each of them personally and act _worried_. He felt it beneath him to explain his action and even farther beneath his to lie about what he'd done. He believed he was justified. He'd supported her, not destroyed her for all the mistakes she'd made costing him a fortune. He'd offered himself as a husband. He would have supported her and made sure she was well taken care of. That's all a woman these days could ask for. But the ungrateful snob didn't want anything to do with him. He felt is almost his _responsibility _to fix that high and mighty attitude of hers. So, he'd kidnapped her. But that wasn't what he was going to tell the other hosts.

"Kyouya, where have you been!" The twins, the most gullible of the group next to Tamaki, whom he couldn't reach for some reason, sounded very frazzled on the other end of the line.

"I caught a chest cold from this horrid winter weather and have been resting. Although, I got an interesting message from Haruhi and wanted to ask if you knew any more than I do…."

"NO! That's what we've calling you about! We're worried sick and all you can say is 'I wasn't feeling well'?" Kyouya's hands tensed as he tried to calm himself.

"I assure you, it was not my choice to fall ill. I have missed out on a lot of work and must get caught up on it. So, if you don't have any further information on Haruhi I need to be going."

"How dare you-" the line went dead.

~~Stolen~~

"That's the problem, no one knows anything. She didn't say anything to anyone. Her father has already tried going to the police but they won't help him." Kyouya's heart skipped a beat. He'd just talked to Ryoji last night. Kyouya had assured him the Haruhi would be back soon. Apparently Ryoji was a litte too intuitive for his own good. He had to think quick.

"I didn't think this very important before but I think I might be able to shed a little light on the situation. Haruhi has been voicing some rather strange desires lately. That's what I was talking to her about that night at the restaurant when I pulled her aside. She'd mentioned to me earlier about feeling trapped, needing space and I asked her to reconsider. I told her she was just stressed from finals and should go home and simply relax. It was my understanding that she'd agreed to stay so I didn't push the matter too far. I never actually thought she would _leave_. However, now that she's gone, the only thing we can do is hope she is safe and let her come back on her own terms, lest she feel even more smothered." The other end of the line was silent for so long that Kyouya thought Hunny might have hung up.

"I don't know Kyouya. Something about this is bothering me. It just doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel like something Haruhi would do."

"And how would _you _know what Haruhi would do!" Kyouya was rapidly getting more frustrated. Why wouldn't anyone of them just listen to him. He was telling them she was safe and they shouldn't worry. Why did they continue to question him! "I," Kyouya cleared his throat, "I apologize. The medication I am taking has not been good for my normal sleeping patterns and has left me a little on edge. If you will excuse me I have some business to attend to." Hunny pressed the end call button on the phone when he heard the dial tone from Kyouya's end. Though he didn't say anything, Hunny could tell by simply looking that Mori was just as worried and confused as Hunny was. They both knew Haruhi would not pull a stunt like this. It just wasn't like her. She was a rational, practical, considerate woman and would never simply leave. Whimsy was not an area any of the hosts could ever see Haruhi exploring, which is why none of this made any sense. The worst part about it was that the only person unconcerned with Haruhi's disappearance was the one who had the most connections that could lead to finding Haruhi. Something just wasn't right.

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya had woken absurdly early in the morning, not his normal style, and left the house. Haruhi had been awake but tried her best to appear as if she were sleeping. She hadn't actually gotten any sleep last night. Her mind would not stop running.

Countless times Haruhi had heard of girls and women in similar situations. Always, _always_ Haruhi had wondered why the girls hadn't just called the police. Why had the threatening word of a man who wasn't there at a moment when a phone was accessible prevented those women from calling for help, saving themselves from some unknown fate? But she knew now. That fear, the gripping overwhelming fear struck deep, choking her. She was barely able to think clearly enough to stand let alone formulate how she would avoid getting caught. And _that _was the real problem. Kyouya had eyes everywhere. Getting caught would be the easiest thing she ever did. The intelligence Kyouya employed would no doubt have all her sources of contact to the outside world bugged. And Haruhi _knew_ she could not rely on the hope that someone could help her. For all she knew, the officer she reached if she actually had the courage to call for help would be owned by Kyouya. Those men would always be loyal to Kyouya first, the law second, and what is moral third.

Dizzy and breathless Haruhi sat up in bed. Kyouya had taped a 'to-do' list to her bed-side table. On impulse Haruhi bristled. She would never do this monster's menial labor! But almost as immediately as her temper had flared, it froze. She'd made a deal. She would do anything he asked and in return he would not, Haruhi swallowed the bile in her throat, take her for a month. Besides, she needed some kind of distraction so she would not break down again.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki had only been in Rangitikei for a week, but already he was homesick. Sure, Rangitikei was beautiful but it just wasn't home. Home had tall buildings and busy travelers. Home had friends and family. Home had Haruhi. Tamaki let out an unconscious sigh. He loved Haruhi but he didn't know if he could make things work with her. He wanted to spend all the time he could with her, lavishing her with love and all the things she never had growing up. But she was so dedicated to school. He didn't mind, of course, but he didn't want Haruhi to feel pressured into putting her dreams on hold. Determined as she was beautiful, though, Tamaki feared she might not even feel bad about turning him down so that she could follow her dreams. Hanging his head in his hands Tamaki tried to squeeze all the ways she could reject him out of his head. It wasn't working. In an effort to stave off the pain he was currently feeling Tamaki picked up his cell to call Haruhi. Sure, he promised himself he wouldn't bother her, unless, of course, she'd called him. But he couldn't hold off any longer. He simply needed to hear her voice.

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya glanced up from his work. Haruhi's cell phone, which he'd kept locked in his office, buzzed on his desk. Curious, Kyouya picked up the phone and smiled. So, the fool was calling to find out about his sweet. Kyouya hadn't left a message on Tamaki's phone because he knew not receiving word from Haruhi until after she left would immediately cause suspicion to fester in the blonde idiot. He'd already had to think of a solid plan B when Tamaki hadn't answered his calls, but was still confident he could control the situation with ease. Kyouya pushed a button on the side of Haruhi's phone, sending Tamaki straight to voicemail.

The benefit of having friends in high places is that you could _easily_ mess with others minds. A very close family friend owed Kyouya a very large favor and Kyouya had finally called it in. None of the other four hosts' phones would be able to receive calls from any phone Tamaki was likely to use. The call would go straight to voicemail everytime. Tamaki would simply assume the hosts were busy with their family. But, incase Tamaki got intelligent enough to go and _visit_ any of the other hosts, the staff he'd snuck into the employ of each of those families would create diversions, telling Tamaki that the hosts were busy or unable to see him at the moment. It was quite a bit of work but Kyouya was confident he had everything under control. All the stress was making him tense, though. Luckily, he knew the perfect person to help him work out the knots.

A/N: SORRY if it seems boring and slow now but I have to set everything up just right to make the story work out the way it's supposed to. Please continue reading and reviewing!

A/N/Public service announcement: Before continuing this story I would like you all to know that I am IN NO WAY romanticizing rape. It is a terrible, horrid crime. Also, I would like to offer up some pointers on keeping yourself SAFE.  
1. **STAY ALERT**: Walking out to your car alone, especially at night, is a bad idea to begin with but is quite often unavoidable. However, if you find yourself doing so, DO NOT allow yourself to be distracted (i.e. Texting, talking on the phone) that lack of knowledge of you immediate surroundings is exactly the in an attacker needs.  
2. **Carry protection**: I carry pepper spray with me (it's pink! )  
3. **Prepare yourself**: Take some self defense classes! Many colleges offer FREE rape defense classes. If that is not available, the extra money you spend on the knowledge of how to defend yourself can save you something much more precious in the future.  
4.** Never stop fighting:** Even if you aren't a master martial artist, you can still cause some damage. Bite, pull, pinch, punch, kick your attackers knee from the front to incapacitate them, punch them in the esophagus, shove your fingers in their eyes, knee them in the groin, box their ears, (also, scratch them. If all else fails and you do end up getting raped, epithelials under your nails can help identify you attacker)ANYTHING that can incapacitate them long enough that you can run for help!  
5.** The buddy system wasn't just for day camp**: Do what you can to go nowhere alone. Attackers single out those who are…single.  
Now….if you find yourself kidnapped here are a few suggestions  
1. **DO NOT plead**: Many rapes are based on an aggressive need for power. By pleading with them, you are letting them know they have that much more power over you, it's what they want.  
2. **Yell "FIRE!"** : It's a sad fact but many people are much more likely to help someone put out a fire than to try and save them from someone that might have a gun or other dangerous weapon. Self-preservation is a little too ingrained in the humans of today.  
Finally if none of this worked and you were fully attacked,** DO NOT STAY SILENT!** I know very well that the threat of retribution is strong. You may fear that the attacker may come back for you or your family, but think of it this way, if they are IN JAIL they cannot hurt you, your family, OR any others they WOULD HAVE ATTACKED had you not spoken up. And, **Go STRAIGHT to the police.** Rape kits help the law gather evidence (from semen or saliva) that will GREATLY help incriminate your attacker. Showering first destroys any of that evidence!  
I hope some of this helped any of you!


	11. Lies

It's my 21st birthday and I've decided to give YOU all a present : ) SORRY for the forever delay. If you wish to know why I let you down month after month please see the author's note at the bottom of this chapter. Enjoy!

"Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope"—Unknown.

Last night had been horrible. Kyouya had come home from work, an hour earlier than promised on his 'to-do' list and demanded Haruhi give him a massage. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd kept his clothes on. The massage lasted for nearly an hour and a half in which Kyouya had made her keep the meaning of "_full-body_ massage". Haruhi had scrubbed her skin raw trying to get the dirty feeling off her skin. It didn't help though, nothing helped.

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya felt the small vein on the left side of his head throb. In all of his planning, Kyouya had not imagined running his affairs, while still keeping his location an absolute secret, would be so impossible. He'd called in so many favors already that he knew he would start _owing_ favors. The thought made his lip curl. But what could he do? He'd spent so long planning for this. He'd already made arrangements and used his favors. And it's not like he could just take Haruhi back and order her not to say anything. Not that he would take her back even if he could be assured of her silence. She was his, _only his. _No one would ever take her away from him, and he would not let himself quit. Kyouya Ootori was many things, but a quitter was not one of them.

Kyouya rubbed the bridge of his nose, a nervous fidget he'd developed as a young boy when he'd first started wearing glasses. He would take a short break from work to check in with his intel. Maybe they could provide him with something to help his mood.

~~Stolen~~

The big meeting was today. He had one final person he had to impress. Sure, the banquet had gone off without a hitch but that night's precedings would matter nothing if he botched up this meeting. The vice president of the company had been in attendance at the banquet in place of the president, who didn't much like banquets or press outings. Sunlight refracted off Tamaki's cuff-link into his eye bringing him from his musings. The last hour had been spent tidying, checking, and re-checking his appearance. It was all that was keeping Tamaki from playing through how many ways he could fail today in his head. Sighing for what seemed the hundreth time, Tamaki grabbed his breifcase and phone from the desk. Feeling more nervous than he ever had about a meeting, Tamki opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine.

~~Stolen~~

"He _What!_"

"He's gone, sir," The voice on the other end of the line had a slight quiver to it; even with an ocean in between them, Kyouya Ootori was dangerous when angered.

"Gone, _where_?" The question was slow, deliberate, and spoken through clenched teeth. Unable to immediately bring himself to tell Kyouya the bad news, the man stayed silent.

"WHERE?"

"No one knows...Sir."

"Find. Him. Im-me-di-ate-ly," The stress Kyouya put on his final word sent a shiver down the man's spine that had nothing to do with the frigid winter weather.

~~Stolen~~

The water had long since run cold in the small shower Haruhi was currently huddled in. She knew she needed to stop breaking down, but the situtation seemed so hopeless. Why, why, _why_ had she been so stupid, so naïve! Why had she asked to be taken somewhere so very far away from her home and those that would care to find her? What on earth had possessed her to make such a fatal mistake. Had she really believed Tamaki would immediately realize something was up and search all over Rangitikei for her? If he even realized she was gone he would go straight back to Japan to search for her. What reason on earth would he have for believing she could be found here? Another sobbed racked her shivering body. Vacantly, Haruhi reached to turn the water off; she'd only just realized it was still on. As she reached for a towel haruhi noticed four small, angry half moons dug into the skin of her right arms. She wrapped the towel around her body and shook her head. A quick sniffle and two deep breath later, Haruhi was up on shaky legs. She had a killer headache and her stomach was in knots.

Ten minutes later found Haruhi in the small, well stocked kitchen of the house. After drying her body and her tears, Haruhi had put on the least risque pair of clothing, that wasn't pajamas, she could find in the equally well stocked closet. As the thought struck her that Kyouya must have been planning all this for quite some time, Haruhi almost let a tear fall but quickly reigned it in. She couldn't afford to lose hope like she almost had earlier. It would do nothing for her but give her a headache and she still had a long list of "chores" to do. First on the list was to start dinner. Although it was only 2:00 or so, the recipe Kyouya had left out would take a while to cook. Sighing, Haruhi walked towards the fridge to get started.

~~Stolen~~

"He is currently in a meeting. I will patch you through to his voice mail." The strawberry blonde sitting at the desk across from him looked highly harrassed. Since he had entered the office, Tamaki had seen the president's personal secretary answer around fifteen calls. All of them seemed to wish to speak with the president and none of them seemed to have wanted to take 'no' for an answer. Nervously, he looked up and gave the secretary and encouraging smile. Her returning smile was sardonic, but a smile nonetheless. Although he felt bad for her, listening to the woman's strange accent gave his mind an occupation other than worrying. A sudden buzzing drew Tamaki's attention away. He reached into his pocket and quickly ended the call. He didn't have time to take a call right now, nor did would he take the chance that he'd be on the phone when the president was ready to meet with him. He'd been thoroughly screening his call since he got to New Zealand. He couldn't take a chance at getting distracted. Unless the number was a verified company number or Haruhi, he would not allow himself to answer it. Voicemail was out of the question too, lest he be tempted to return someone's message, so he'd turned that capability off for the time being.

Another twenty minutes passed slowly; the suffocating silence only broken by the sharp ring of the phone. Nervously, Tamaki checked his watch. Had he gotten the wrong day? The wrong time? _Not_ possible. Regardless, Tamaki reached down to grab his planner from his breifcase to make sure he hadn't entered the date wrong in his phone. A sudden click dicstracted Tamaki from his goal. Looking less than satisfied, a short,young man in a questionably green suit stepped out from behind the set of doors that lead into, what Tamaki assumed, was the president's office. The man walked up to Tamaki and looked down to where he sat.

" will see you now."

~~Stolen~~

Kyouya didn't notice the small red droplets falling onto his desk as the plastic from his now unusable phone bit into his hand. He had been wholly unable to sneak anyone in his employ into the Suoh mansion, or anywhere near it for that matter. The Suoh family had too many closely gaurded secrets to allow just anyone to work in any kind of proximity to anything that could cause problems for them. While it had bothered him, it did not really worry him, at first. Kyouya had heard from multiple sources that the energetic blonde heir was planning to spend a quiet and secluded winter season at home. Tamaki himself had made it know to the hosts that he would rather spend the next month or so alone, and would not be joining them during any of their celebrations. Something or other about needing to examine his options on his own. Kyouya had thought all Tamaki was going to do was spend the next month inside pinning for Haruhi and sleeping in. Kyouya knew the young man had never been one for forethought, so the idea of him actually _planning_ for _anything_ seemed utterly absurd. Now, though, he was beginning to reconsider his earlier disregard.

Suddenly, a thought came to Kyouya. Tamaki was probably off in Paris somewhere visiting his sick mother. He didn't know why he didn'think of it before. Kyouya chuckled to himself. He'd given far too much credit where it wasn't due. Tamaki wasn't capable of _anything_ that could ruin his plans. After another short chuckle, Kyouya glanced down to the hand he'd just realized was injured and sighed at the prospect of getting a new phone all the way out here.

~~Stolen~~

"….Storms that are rolling in. Meteorologists suspect this months storms to be the worst in recent history. The damage caused could…." Haruhi turned the volume down on the flat television set into the wall. At first, she had wanted the comfort of another's voice, but now the idea of the storms finding her in her current prison set her teeth on edge. It was all any news channel seemed to want to talk about. 'I can _tell_ it's going to storm because I can _hear_ it,' Haruhi thought bitterly. The rain had started soon after she'd begun fixing dinner. As she was putting the prepared roast into the oven, the thunder had started, bringing the lightning soon after. She wanted to get dinner finished before Kyouya got home, though, so she tried her very best to ignore the storm.

Haruhi glanced nervously at the clock. Kyouya would be home soon and dinner was still not ready. She knew Kyouya well enough to know that if she hadn't finished everything he'd asked by the time he arrived home, there would be _consequences_. A tiny shudder of revulsion ran through Haruhi as she turned to take the roast from the oven causing a small amount of liquid to seep onto Haruhi's apron. It wasn't any kind of _cooking_ apron Haruhi had seen before. The apron itself was a black organza with light pink lace around the edges. The neckline was a deep v and the skirt came only to her mid-thigh. She was no idiot, she knew it wasn't _actually_ a cooking apron but she did _not_ want to get her only pair of _appropriate_ clothing dirty while cooking. And the apron added an extra, albeit flimsy, layer of clothing to Haruhi. And, the more clothing between Haruhi and Kyouya, the better. After turning the oven off, haruhi glanced toward the table she'd set minutes ago. A few side dishes steamed temptingly on the table. Two places were set and the glasses were filled with wine, per Kyouya's 'request'. The sight seemed all wrong to Haruhi. This setting seemed perfect for a couple in love who were about to have a romantic dinner together, not for a man and his kidnapped 'wife'. The word caused an involuntary tear to slip down Haruhi's cheek that was quickly wiped away and she heard tires on the gravel drive outside the house. "He's home."

A/N:a concerned reviewer (darkdragon emperess) added a couple of points to my safety tips and I would like to thanks her! Here are the tips:  
"the spot between a persons navel down to their waist is the center of power and a strong enough hit there(and you don't have to be a pro boxer for it to be strong enough) will temporarily incapacitate someone. Also for male attackers, target not the esophagus but the Adams apple, it is much more painful." Thanks again drakdragon emperess!

Additional A/N: I sincerely apologize for not updating for so long. I won't go into details but I will give you a snippet of my year since I last updated.

-I had two grandparents die  
-My other set of grandparents are getting a divorce  
-My old computer's motherboard fried (LUCKILY I was able to salvage my data) So I had to buy a new one  
-The girl who was my best friend for the last five years is no longer even my friend  
-My car has needed multiple repairs  
-I found out I cannot apply to a nursing program until next year because I am missing an interpersonal communication credit  
- And the list goes on….

So, I apologize for the delay. I sorely missed this story also and ached to write it but with my computer breaking over three months ago and having to get a new one and deal with school, work, and all the tragedies going on in my life, I just couldn't make it happen. Sorry again and I hope to keep the chapters coming so that everyone of my readers can find out what happens : )


	12. Infiltration

A/N: In the previous chapter, deleted the name of the business man in some crazy-super-oddly-specific-error. A sentence near the end says " will see you now." It was supposed to say "Mr. Harwicke will see you now." Sorry about that.

Also, this chapter is a little on the dry side, not much action, however the information in it is important so pay attention, no 'skimming' children! :p

~~Stolen~~

"If you live among wolves you have to howl like a wolf"—Russian Proverb

~~Stolen~~

After the initial shock of realizing no one knew where Tamaki was, and the comforting realization that Tamaki was no longer a viable threat soon after, Kyouya was feeling quite relaxed. Just to make things a little less tense, though, Kyouya called in one more favor. A travel itinerary was to be made and 'hidden' somewhere in Haruhi's room. The itinerary needed to be legitimate; recognizable barcode and all. If Ryouji was as involved with the police as Kyouya knew he would be, after the continued, frantic calls Kyouya had received from him, the document needed to pass the scrutiny of even an experienced investigator. The time on the itinerary was to match the early morning after Haruhi had been kidnapped. Kyouya allowed his accomplice to be creative with where Haruhi was supposed to have been going but requested it be somewhere far away, large, and difficult to search. Frazzled nerves soothed, Kyouya glanced at his watch, his arrogant sneer reflecting in the faceplate. It was about the time he'd told Haruhi to have dinner ready. The trip home would be quick. He didn't want to be too far from her, should she try to escape and someone be near.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki felt the first violent thud of his heart speeding up before he even took a breath. When he'd received the call this morning it had come as quite a shock. He'd been planning on having a little more time to prepare. Sure, he'd spoken to the man once before but that was _on the phone_ for a brief two minutes while he apologized to Tamaki for not being able to make it to Tamaki's speech; he wasn't a fan of large gatherings, especially ones where the press was involved. And even though the president had admitted he was impressed with Tamaki's understanding and continued willingness to give the speech, Tamaki still felt like there would be nothing he could do to make this man want to give him such an important position.

A sudden tapping shook Tamaki from his daze. The squat, green suited man was tapping his foot against the pristine white carpet, looking at Tamaki as if he'd very much like him to dissapear completely.

"Sorry," Tamaki apologized quickly. With no anwer, the man turned and started walking towards the large double doors, expecting Tamaki to follow.

To Tamaki each step was an eternity. An eternity that was ending far too quickly. Part of Tamaki wanted to wait in that uncomfortably modern office chair forever. The other part wanted to be _in_ the office as soon as possible, so he could be _out_ of the office as soon as possible. The indecision made his steps erratic. A sardonic chuckle slid quietly past Tamaki's throat. He'd been so confident, so _sure_ of himself the day he'd stepped off that plane. His naïve arrogance had him convinced that no one would deny him such a position, considering who he was and what he'd done. Now, though, he was more unsure of himself and his merit than he'd ever been.

~~Stolen~~

A clap of thunder accompanied the small creak of the front door, followed almost immediately by a flash of lightning. The irony of the situation struck Haruhi right before the fear did. A small tremor beginning to rack her frame.

"Hello, beautiful." If the situation were not so dire, Haruhi would have rolled her eyes. "Well…" Kyouya waved his hand in the air, obviously expecting something.

"Uhm…" Kyouya smirk fell. He walked over to Haruhi and grabbed her wrist.

"You're loving husband has just returned from a long day at the office. He is tired and instead of going straight for the table, _where his wife _better _have dinner ready_ he takes the time to compliment her. Now, _she _ needs to return the sentiment. A kiss will do this time, but I expect a warmer welcome tomorrow night." Anxious to be out of Kyouya's grip, Haruhi leaned quickly over and pecked the bottom of Kyouya's chin; it was all she could reach without going on tip-toe. "Hm. That will do, _for tonight_." The demand was not lost on Haruhi. "I expect you were able to follow my _written_ instructions which means," Kyouya pushed past Haruhi to walk towards the dining room that sat next to the kitchen, "you will have-" Kyouya turned to smile at her, "I see you _can_ follow instructions. I made a wise decision, taking you as my wife. Now come, sit." Not feeling hungry in the least, despite the fact that she'd only had a few bites of bread around lunch time, Haruhi joined Kyouya at the table.

Kyouya was highly pleased. This arrangement he'd made with Haruhi was more perfect than he could have imagined. He was no fool, he knew Haruhi did not want him so she would do _anything_ to keep him from her. The fact that she'd followed his instruction exactly as written was proof of that.

Haruhi had spent a sizeable amount of time today thinking about her situation. She wanted to be defiant, to show that she would not back down, break down. With anyone else that might have worked, might have at least put a kink in their plans, but Haruhi knew Kyouya far too well to know that he would believe her. He would see right through her defiance to the frightened little girl inside. She knew that to stay safe, to stay sane, she must play into his plans, if only some. And so she would, but there were a few questions she needed answered before she could start.

The candle light flickered in the breeze the cracked window let in. The eerie, twitching shadows it cast behind Kyouya did nothing the clam her nerves. Somewhat less than bravely, Haruhi cleared her throat.

"How long?" Kyouya glanced up. "How long were you planning this." Kyouya sighed, setting his fork down in a measured gesture; he did _not_ want to have this discussion now.

"Does it matter?" Haruhi did not speak but inclined her head with what she hoped was a defiant edge. Kyouya looked down at his plate. His fingers rubbed his left eyebrow; a sign that Kyouya was not happy with the turn of the evening.

"I know you Haruhi, probably better than anyone else, including yourself. You have a one track mind that cannot be swayed with the promise of trinkets and security. There were so many men who would have had you as their wife instantly, gave you everything you wanted, needed; but you weren't interested. You showed me something I'd never experienced before in a woman." Haruhi felt the underlying compliment in his words but knew that wasn't the point of what he was telling her. "Your preferences also left me out of the running, though. And I found your disregard hasty and reckless. By then, though, I had already decided you _would_ be mine, whether or not it was your decision. I was the most prudent choice for you, and you simply needed some coaxing. Had that dimwitted French boy not stepped in, I would have had the time to make you see reason." Haruhi was immediately on edge, forgetting completely about the insults Kyouya was throwing her way.

"What do you mean?"

"The imbecile was ready to give up his inheritance for you. His grandmother told me of his intentions and I knew I would need to cut some time out of my plan." Haruhi's heart stuttered. _She_ was the reason he was being disinherited. She didn't have time to figure out exactly _how_ that should make her feel before Kyouya started again. "I had planned to sway your affections and get married, but just in case that did not work, I, like all shrewd businessmen, had a solid back up plan." Haruhi just barely reigned in the desire to roll her eyes at his arrogance. "I had all your clothes and the supplies we would need to live out our lives together purchased as soon as I heard of Tamaki's intentions. The only part left was to have you choose where to live. Now, whether you would go willingly or not was the problem and caused me quite a headache when you refused me." Haruhi blood pressure was skyrocketing to dangerous levels. He was making this whole mess sound like it was her fault, that _she'd _caused _him_ problems!

"You Bas-"

"I would not finish that sentence if I were you _dear_." Kyouya's expression was bored but narrowed eyes betrayed the promise behind his words. Haruhi swallowed hard and counted to ten, taking slow, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, Kyouya had his left brow raised at her antics.

"Well, now that I've told you all you need to know, I will finish my dinner in peace." It was less a statement than a command. "However before we end this conversation, I must commend you on your choice of location. A place this sparsely populated made the whole home purchasing process quick and nearly painless. And the location provides the ultimate in privacy."

~~Stolen~~

He was shaking. Wether it was from the caffeine in his tenth cup of coffee, or from fear, it didn't matter. Ryouji Fujioka was _uncontrollably_ shaking.

"Alright. I see," the officer that Ryouji had initially gone to, Lt. Wakahisa, was currently on the phone with his chief. After nearly three days, and a single missing persons alert, no progress had been made. After the required twenty-four hour wait period, the police acknowledged that there might be cause for concern. A few had still been convinced that the girl had run off, or stuck in the storm without a way to contact her father. It didn't matter though. Twenty-four hours _had_ passed and an alert was required. Almost two more days went by and nothing had turned up. No clues, no sightings, nothing. Ryouji had made his home in the police station, convinced that he _needed _to be there for Haruhi to turn up. This wouldn't have bothered Lt. Wakahisa any if it hadn't been the holidays. This was by far the busiest time for them. Many western traditions had been adopted in recent years and holidays such as Christmas were celebrated widely, even by the many that were not Christian. This meant roberies, auto theft, and murder rates went through the roof. It was a macabre connection to make with such a jouyous holiday but it was a definite connection nonetheless. It didn't help that the weather had been horrid, causing multiple crashes, outages, and even deaths. The police station was swamped. But, despite the inconvenience and constant disruption that Ryouji caused, the Leuitenant couldn't help but sympathize with the man. Although, he hadn't, at first. He had children of his own who were very prone to 'forgetting to say they would be late' or 'forgetting to charge their phones'. So, he assumed, like any other overworked police Leuitenant would, that she would turn up in the next twelve hours. When that hadn't happened, Wakahisa felt a small twinge of guilt and had tried to ease it by informing Ryouji that the minute the twenty-four hour mark was reached, an alert would be put out. Twenty four hours passed. Then thirty six. Then fourty eight, and still no Haruhi. The Leuitenant wasn't even quite ready to do anything more until Ryojui, looking a bit more than lost, made him rethink himself.

"_There she is; her first day of school," Haruhi's hair was in lopsided pigtail with matching haphazard bows. Her face betrayed no anxiousness, only a subtle smile. "I was so afraid, because she was growing up so fast," Ryouji slid the picture back into his wallet, "I was afraid I would…" Ryouji gulped down what had to have been a tightly reigned in sob, "afraid I would l-lose her. And now," The sob managed to slip past this time, "Please, don't you have any children? A daughter, perhaps? What would you do if you knew she was missing? What would you give to have her back?"_

And that's when it had clicked. This man wasn't just another nameless person with yet another case for him to fill out paperwork for. This man was a father. A father who'd lost his daughter and would do _anything_ to get her back. So, here he was, on the phone with the chief of his district, trying to get _someone_ to do _something_.

"I understand. Thank-you, sir." After setting the receiver down, Wakahisa sighed. Too anxious to speak, Ryouji simply waited for the Leuitenant. "The staff is spread very thin right now Ryouji. As it is, all those who put off for vacation have either been denied or called back in. Most of us are working double over time," Ryouji sucked in a quick, horrified breath, fearing he was being denied any help, "_However_, the chief has agreed to call in a freelance investigator that has worked on many successfully solved cases within the precinct. It's not all that I'd hoped, or believe could be done, but it _is_ something." Ryouji was unsure what to feel. Certainly he felt relief that someone would finally be looking into his daughter's disappearance but the lieutenant had not seemed to thrilled about it. Was there something wrong with this investigator? Obviously nothing too serious or he would not have been recommended. Still not knowing 100% how to feel, Ryouji settled for relieved. If there was _anyone _who could help him find his daughter, he would accept them.

~~Stolen~~

The first thing Tamaki noticed was that the office of the CEO looked _nothing_ like he'd pictured. Because of who he was, Tamaki had met many influential businessmen and had seen inside nearly as many private offices. They were usually Spartan with little to no touch of life or happiness. This room was the only exception to that rule he'd ever seen. There were family pictures on the walls and colorful drawings placed in an haphazard manner around the few tables, suggesting a young child's presence. Just as he reached down to examine one of the drawings more closely, a warm hand touched his shoulder,

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Suoh."

~~Stolen~~

"She had never mentioned leaving for any length of time, to _any_ of you, had she?" It was currently 11:27 p.m. Snow was still falling and a sharp wind still blew. But here they sat, huddled in Haruhi's too small living room, answering ridiculously specific questions to a man in an equally ridiculous hound's-tooth cap. It was obvious he took himself too seriously. But, he was all they had at the moment, and _none_ of them were about to mess that up. A lethargic chorus of 'no's' was raised. "Are you sure this is everyone who got the message?" No one was sure how to answer this particular question. How were they supposed to know _everyone_ who received a message? As it was Kyouya didn't seemed too worried about it, and Tamaki hadn't even contacted them.

"Well," a small voice hidden behind a soft white blanket, "we can't be sure." The investigator walked over to Hunny, assessing him in a way that made Hunny feel rather uncomfortable.

"Explain."

" Haruhi only had a few _close_ friends at Ouran. Well, only a few that she would notify if she were going somewhere," the small blonde, normally so child-like, had an almost frighteningly serious look on his face as he elaborated. "All of them were in the host club. Four of the seven Host Club members are here. One of them is Haruhi. That leaves two. Kyouya Ootori, another member of the club mentioned that he received a call but didn't sound very concerned. And, since then, none of us have been able to contact him." The investigator scribbled a few note on his pad and made a small nose in the back of his throat, signaling Hunny to continue. "The other member is Tamaki Suoh. No one has been able to get in touch with him and he has not called any of us to let us know of any messages he received. None of us want to suspect either of them but…" Hunny let the implication hang in the air. A few more scribbles and the investigator looked up,

"That will be all for tonight, you may return home but if you hear anything, or think of _anything_ no matter how inconsequential it may seem, do not hesitate to contact me." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew several small, plain business cards. The hosts accepted them willingly but remained seated. "I said you were all free to go."

"If you do not see it as an overstay of our welcome, we would like stay to do what we can to help, Fujioka-san." Ryouji, who seemed only distantly aware of what was going on around him and looked Mori in the eyes, most likely as stunned at hearing the young man speak as the three other host members in the room.

"Please. I think I might need the company right now." The investigator sighed, none too happy at being disregarded.

"Fine." He turned to Ryouji, "Have you made sure you checked everywhere is Haruhi's room?"

"I-" Ryouji shifted his gaze towards the floor, "I went straight to the station as soon as I realized she was gone, I didn't have time to-" Ryouji stopped speaking to take two quick step back, accomadating the investigator who'd pushed past him towards Haruhi's room. In unison, the hosts glanced at eachother and stood, to help the investigator search.

The search was cramped but no inch of the room was left unturned. The obvious spaces were checked multiple times; the desk, under the bed, in the drawers. A few times, one of the hosts would catch the investigator knocking on the walls, or puching on the floor, possibly looking for some hidden safe, or loose floorboard that could be used as a hiding place. After checking the second drawer of Haruhi's desk for around the tenth time that night, Hikaru slammed it shut. An almost immediate, and rather loud click, caused Hikaru to pause.

"Everyone! Quiet!" The room stilled immediately as the investigator shouted; everyone instantly on high alert. Pulling out the door again, Hiakru shut it with less anger but the same amount of force. The click was slightly more audible this time. "What is that?"

"Once more." The investigator's voice shook the silence. As requested, Hikaru produced the click on more time. Without any pretense, the man pushed past hikaru and pulled the entire drawer out of it's cubby; a thin metal box dropping to the floor.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki nodded as he accepted some more tea from Mr. Harwicke. The two men had fallen into easy conversation; so much so that Tamaki was having an easy time forgetting why he was really here. They had talked for hours about everything and nothing. Mr. Harwicke talked abut his family, his life, his acomplishments. Tamaki had talked little about his family, besides a quick mention of his mother, until some not so gentle prodding from Mr. Harwicke.

"I am _very_ interested to hear about your family. If it isn't too much, that is." Tamaki's smile faltered slightly. What was he supposed to say? His crazy grandmother, whom he still loved and respected very much, despite all she'd done, was the overbearing, controlling mother to his own, cowardly, absentminded father. The same father who had allowed aforementioned grandmother to scare his sick mother back to heaven-knows-where Paris. Mr. Harwicke saw the indecision plain on Tamaki's face as a small sigh escaped the blonde's lips.

"Tamaki, if I have overstepped, I apologize-"

'"No, it's quite alright, sir. It's just, well, I'm not seeing eye to eye with my family at the moment. My grandmother, I think she means well but…I should probably start at the beginning…."

Mr. Harwicke listened intently as Tamaki told him about his strange childhood, his confusion when it came to what being part of the family business meant, and the emptiness he always felt could be filled by the mother that had been sent away. He knew every family had their problems but what Tamaki was describing was distressing. And when Tamaki started to talk about his impending disinheritance, Mr. Harwicke was ready to hold his hand up and allow Tamaki to stop pulling up such painful memories. That is, until,

"But it will be worth it. I couldn't think of anything that would make me happier."

"I'm sorry, son, but you've lost me." Tamaki looked to the floor, chuckling softly.

"_'_ _Women made us lose paradise, but how frequently we find it again in their arms_'" Mr. Harwicke continued staring at Tamaki. "De Finod, sir."

"Ah, yes, a woman." Mr. Harwickes eyes shone with understanding.

"Not just any woman. I have been around beautiful, sucessful women all my life and _never_ have I felt anything so strong, so real. She makes life _worth living_. The way she smiles when she laughs, the way she can make me feel like no matter what happens, everything will be alright, the way she blushes when she's nervous, the way her eyes light up around sushi," Tamaki added with a chuckle, "it's more than I can say. I love her in such a way that thinking about it makes me feel everywhere at once and frightened beyond anything I've experienced before, but only because it feels like I will never have enough time with her, will never be able to hold her long enough….She's so….so _absolutely perfect_."

Mr. Harwicke waited until Tamaki had woken himself from his daydream before speaking again.

"She sounds wonderful but I fail to see the connection. Can you not be with her _and_ run a company?"

"There is no doubt, sir. However, my family, rather my grandmother, will not accept her. She see's my choice as foolish and illogical. My disinheritance is directly linked to my desire to marry Haruhi."

"This girl, this Haruhi, does she know of your intentions?" Tamaki's face instantly fell. Mr. Harwicke feared he'd crossed another boundary but could not stop Tamaki from answering before hei started.

"I had planned to ask her once I got back. Well, acually, I had planned to ask her _before_ I left but due to unforseen circumstances, I was prevented. Having spoken with Haruhi before I left, I asked her to have dinner with me the night I return. I will ask her then."

"How long have you two been together?" It took Tamaki much longer to answer this time, and once he did, the shame coating his voice was almost tangible.

"We have been friends for several years now but in the past two year we have become very close. However, we were never officially 'together'." A sardonic smile found it's way onto Tamki's lips, "In fact, our first kiss was just a week ago." Tamaki knew how he sounded; crazy. How could he ask this woman who wasn't his girlfriend to marry him? Was he honestly convinced she'd even consider it. The snort of derision he was expecting was replaced by a mirthful chuckle.

"Young love is so quick, so passionate. While I'm not sure it is the ideal path to take, I can understand your desire for things to move quickly. My wife and myself were promised to eachother in an old fashioned arranged marriage merger. We had not met until a month before the wedding, due to her living in a different country. When we did meet, however, it seemed to me that the marriage could not happen soon enough. I fell for her immediately and I wanted everyone, including myself, to see that she was mine. I do feel though, that there is something else pushing _your_ impatience…" Mr. Harwicke let the implication hang tauntingly in the air.

"Yes. I am unfortunately caught between two choices. I wish to have a solid job to provide for Haruhi, but because I will no longer have access to the jobs provided by my father's company I have sought out other employment whose necessary relocation would require me to move a fair distance away from Haruhi. I cannot stand to be without her, but this job is everything I need and I would love to have it. So, if I cannot choose one or the other, I must make myself a third option. Asking Haruhi to marry and move _with_ me is that option."

"I see your dilema. I must ask, though, just to be sure. Please do not be offended but I must know; are you willing to ask her to give up everything and move with you? In our conversation earlier I gather she is the one who wanted to become a laywer. Would you ask her to leave all her dreams behind to sit in your shadow as you follow _your_ own dreams?"

"I would _never_ ask her to give up her dreams. I will personally see to it that she has the best schooling money can buy. I would never even consider asking her to leave her dreams behind. I will be there for her _whenever_ she needs me, _even_ if that mean understanding if she doesn't want to leave with me. All her decisions will be just that; _her own_. I would _never _ask Haruhi anything that would change her, because I love who she is now, dreams and all." Tamaki, who had risen far from his seat without realizing it, slunk back into it, embarrassed by his outburst and afraid he completely ruined his chances. But, mortified as he was, he would not apologize. Everything he said was true. And despite the excess passion behind his words, he wouldn't change the message he'd just conveyed. A frigid silence had seeped into the room as Mr. Harwicke seemed to be considering something. Too afraid of what his line of thought might mean for Tamaki, he fought for a way to quickly changed the subject.

"Sir, if I may, do you not celebrate Christmas?" The second the words were out of his mouth, Tamaki froze. Tamaki's question must have sounded so bitter, an accusation for making him come in on Christmas. "Sir! I-" Mr. Harwicke held up his hand, a wry smile playing across his face.

"I know what you meant son. I did not take offense. I probably do owe you an explanation, though." Tamaki inclined his head very cautiously, lest he say or do the wrong thing, again. "I'm sure by now you've noticed we haven't really 'gotten down to business'. Maybe you thought this idle chit-chat was simply introductions but it's actually what I've called you here to do today." Tamaki was unsure how to react so he settled for looking interested. With a sigh, Mr. Harwicke continued, "Life is so very short," he rubbed his forehead in what seemed such a fragile gesture, "my youngest granddaughter, Amelia, loves the water. I think she was supposed to have been born a fish." The now very breakable looking man sitting before Tamaki smiled at the thought of his granddaughter, a far off look in his eyes. "So for her 5th birthday, I took the whole day off and myself, my wife, Amelia and her father went to her favorite part of the river so that she could play in the shallows. I've never much liked being in the water but for Amelia's sake I figured I could at least go a few feet in. When she saw that I was coming closer Amelia got a little too excited. Her foot caught on a rock and she went under." Tamaki saw a shiver run through Mr. Harwicke in what could only be fear of the memory, "I jumped forward to grab her but I suffered the same misfortune she did. Luckily though, her father saw the whole incident and had jumped for Amelia before I'd even reacted, because on the way down I fell on a nearby rock." Tamaki tried to imagine trying to help someone you loved and then being unable to because you were hurt yourself. "Poor Amelia was so shook up. She held my hand the whole way to the hospital." Although Tamaki was interested in this story, he was not sure he understood where Mr. Harwicke was going with this, or if he had a point at all. "After we reached the hospital, I was immediately taken to get x-rays. I suspected I had broken some ribs and knew I'd probably have to be wrapped up. What happened next was _not _what I had been expecting.

After about a half an hour of waiting my doctor came into my room and asked that my son and granddaughter step out of the room. Without any pretense the doctor stuck my x-rays up and pointed to the breaks in three of my ribs. He then went on to explain that while looking at the x-rays, he had noticed a mass and began asking me questions about my recent health. '_Had I been feeling well? Had I had any chest pain? Were there any unexplained bouts of shortness of breath_?' By the time the doctor finished I knew something was wrong. The doctor then told me that I would have to undergo some exploratory surgery so a biopsy could be taken of the mass." Mr. Harwicke's tone began to falter, causing his eyebrows to knit and furrow. "After the operation, and before I was even fully out of my anesthesia induced stupor I was told I had a very advanced stage of cancer. The mass that was in the x-ray was a malignant tumor. What started out as lung cancer was now a systemic cancer that had reached my bones." Mr. Harwicke turned his chair to look out the large picture window behind him. "I was told I had three months to live. That was one month ago." Tamaki was utterly shell-shocked. This man, who'd seemed so jovial and full of life and intensely unshakeable had two months to live. "I realized, lying there in that hospital bed what I had to do. I'd never given my son the father he deserved when he was growing up. And when his wife had died, I wasn't there for him like I should have been. Then, my paltry attempts to make it up to him through his daughter only seemed to make him grow farther from me. Tamaki," Mr. Harwicke had turned his chair back around and pinned Tamaki with a very serious look, "I will not spend a minute longer than I have to, sitting in this office, ignoring the people I love most. With the two months I have left, I will give them every second I can and try to make up for all the years I was remiss in my attentions. I need to know that, more than a shrewd business man, the man that will take over this company will look after those he loves and will learn to delegate duties instead of foolishly thinking he needs to do it all himself. I need to know that the one to take over my company will _never_ put business before family. I love this company and I do not want it to end, but I would hate to see, even after I'm gone, that it is the reason someone has given something so precious as time to his job and _not_ his family."

"I _knew_ from the second I heard you talk about your friends, and your mother, and _especially_ your complete disregard for you inheritance if it meant losing that girl that _you _were the one that should take over here. Although, I must tell you, your desired position was actually a farce. I need you not to be the CEO of the Branch in Japan, but CEO of the company. If I let it known that I was stepping down as CEO before now, it would have cost much more time. Congratulations son, and may this business bring you even more joy than it did me. Oh, and you may relocate the head office to the office that is currently being finished in Japan, if you do not wish to relocate in New Zealand." Tamaki had grown far more mature in the past years and had been able to conceal his emotions much better than his high school self, but Tamaki just had not gained enough control to fight the shout of triumph that overtook him. Mr. Harwicke himself cracked a wide smile. "I _do _have one condition." Tamaki looked at him expectantly. "I _must_ meet this girl, this Haruhi. If, God willing, I am still alive, I would like an invitation to the wedding." Tamaki beamed but answered carefully,

"She has to say yes first."

"She will. Oh, and promising to name your firstborn after me wouldn't hurt my opinion of you either." Mr. Harwicke laughed deeply and Tamaki knew in that moment that things would work out. He now had a job where he could support the woman he loved more than anything and their family. He could pay for all her schooling and he could be there for her whenever she needed him. Everything was perfect.

~~Stolen~~

Distantly, Haruhi was aware that Kyouya was out of bed and speaking in hushed, angry tones to someone. Since it pleased her for Kyouya to be out of bed, she disn't care at all who he was yelling at. Rolling over, in hopes of drowning the noise out, Haruhi tried to fall back Into her fitful slumber.

"I told you to be creative, _not _ insane! How do you expect them to figure out where it's hidden!" The voice on the other end let out a small chuckle,

"Because, not only did I deliver the itinerary to a 'safe spot', I helped them _find_ it."

~~Stolen~~

A/N: MAN this chapter was a booger! There were _a lot_ of little things, little tidbits of information and such that needed to be slipped in. Plus, when you're trying to write the activities of multiple people at the same time, it's a little hard to get your point across while still making sense in the timeline, _**and**_ I didn't want to leave gaping holes in the storyline. ANYWHO, hope you enjoyed it, even if it did seem like it had an overload of superfluous information and storyline! Please review and let me know what you think! : )


	13. Fatal Mistakes

"The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."—Carl Jung.

"Answer. Your. **Phone**!" Koaru slammed the borrowed cell phone down. Wondering if Tamaki was intentionally screening calls from the hosts, or anyone close to him, The twins had used one of their maids' cell phones to attempt to contact him. He still had not answered and everyone was beginning to feel the tension.

"Where is he? If he knew what happened he would be here in an instant. And Kyouya too, where did he go? And why doesn't this concern him at all?"

"At least _**he**_answered his phone." The bite of Kaoru's accusation was too much for his brother.

"What are you suggesting?" There was acid in Hikaru's tone.

"Why else wouldn't Tamaki answer his phone. Honestly, doesn't it seem strange to any of you? He didn't tell any of us he was _going_ anywhere and he isn't answering _any_ calls."

"Kaoru! You know very well that Tamaki would be _the last_ person to ever harm Haruhi! How dare you even suggest-" Kaoru, who seemed suddenly very interested in the tabletop, interrupted,

"Maybe…maybe they ran away together. You know, to get married or something. I mean, Ryouji has never apporved of-"

"No." Three shocked faces turned to the normally silent host. "They would have told us." A tense silence fell.

"He's right. Something about this just feels wrong."

~~Stolen~~

The air outside had long since gone frigid. The slight wind bit at his cheek, causing Tamaki to pull the strings on his hood tighter. Although it was uncomfortable, it was also relaxing. The air seemed so clean and fresh; so _new_. Just like this next part of his life. Everything was changing for the better. While it had come as quite a shock that he would be the next CEO of this company within a few months, rather than the head of a branch of the company, Tamaki had already expected to inherit his father's company soon after graduating. He would have to learn a few new things, but running a company pretty much always involved the same things.

As good as this thought made him feel, an involuntary shiver shot through Tamaki; the cold had nothing to do with it. The man Tamaki was gaining this company from was going to die. No questions asked. Tamaki knew well that bone cancer was a death sentence. But that's not what shook Tamaki. Mr. Harwicke had seemed so content with everything. He knew he was going to die, that he would be leaving the company in the hands of a young man he barely knew, that he would be leaving his family….but he'd seemed genuinely happy overall. A quick moment of reflection told Tamaki that Mr. Harwicke was the kind of man Tamaki aspired to be; the kind of man he wished his father had been. The latter thought brought Tamaki up short. Tamaki, in all his years had tried very hard not to hate his father for what had happened. But there were some times, late at night, or in long moments of introspection that Tamaki had wished that his father had been stronger and put family before business and refused to let his grandmother send his mother away. Those thoughts, when they had managed to bubble up, were quickly squashed. '_Grandmother is his family too. He only wanted a bright future for his son, he had to keep the company_.' But now, half a world away, with a bright future ahead, Tamaki felt safe in his anger, justified. Mr. Harwicke had made mistakes with his family too, he had even admitted it. But now, and even before the diagnosis, he had tried to fix them. His own father had done nothing of the sort. Anger and resentment boiled under the surface of Tamaki's thoughts. He knew then what he had to do. He had to get this company organized as soon as possible so he could get back to Haruhi as soon as possible. They would be married and he would care for her like she was the single most important person on earth. Because, to him, she was. He would be a better man to her than his father ever was to Tamaki's own mother.

~~Stolen~~

"I expect to be home late tonight. That does not mean, however, that you can shirk your responsibilities. I will call to let you know around the time I expect to be home. You _will_ have dinner hot and ready for me when I arrive home." Not really knowing how else to respond, and deciding not to give it too much thought, Haruhi simply lowered her head in assent. "Good," Kyouya purred, "I can see this arrangement working out very nicely." As he walked past her, he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, which would have been considered sweet if he had not kidnapped her, and then followed the kiss with a possessive, and wholly unwanted, swat to her rear end.

Time slipped strangely in Haruhi's wooden prison. Sometimes it would seem she'd sat for hours, staring at a knot in the polished wood of the floors, when she'd only sat for mere moments. Other times she'd sit down to rest and find she'd been tracing the patterns in the ceiling for hours. All in all, Haruhi's day had been nowhere near productive. She knew, in the back of her mind that there was a list of things she was to have accomplished by the time Kyouya arrived home but, until the sun started it's lazy retreat behind the mountains, Haruhi couldn't make herself care.

Still not completely ready to shock herself back into reality, Haruhi took it upon herself to give herself a tour….of her own house. She'd spent most of her first few nights here crying and the days she'd spent preparing for Kyouya's imminent, and unfortunate, returns. Before she realized it, Haruhi was at the front door, facing in. To her left was a small closet, for coats and shoes she suspected, but the only thing that currently took up residence in the limited space was a broom and dustpan set and a few cleaning supplies. Haruhi shut the closet softly, feeling anxious, as if she were invading someone else's home. To her right was a cherrywood desk with a very plush office chair. Both looked as if they'd never been used. Haruhi imagined this is where Kyouya would threaten to set up shop, were Haruhi to get too desperate for escape. The spacious living room was straight ahead of her and lead through an arched doorway into the kitchen on the right and the dining room on the left. In the middle of the left wall of the living room was an "L" shaped halway. The first room was the master bedroom. A quick shiver passed through Haruhi at the sight of it. That room was as deep as she'd gone in the house so far, though. Pushing the odd feelings of intrusion down, Haruhi peered down the hallway. Three doors, the same cherrywood as the desk in the entrance, were shut. A deceptively pleasant beam of orange sunset reached under two of the three doors, touching only an inch or so of the floor in front of it. The first door, on Haruhi's left swung open to reveal a smaller, second, bedroom. Sparsely decorated, this room reminded Haruhi of a hospital room; cold and unwelcoming. The next door, on her right, concealed a small guest bath. This, too, look as if it had never been, and my never be, used. The final door was located at the end of the hallway. This door did not have the same pleasant orange light seeping out from under it. It was strange, in fact, that when Haruhi knelt down to inspect it, the door went all the way down to the floor; connecting snugly with the polished floor. Feeling more curious than anxious, Haruhi reached up to the knob on the door, intending to inspect further. The knob barely turned in her hand. Haruhi stood and tried the knob again. The same result. She assumed the door might be stuck, it _was touching_ the ground. Once more, Haruhi tried to open the door in front of her, this time with a little added force from her hip and shoulder. Nothing. It was locked. Why would it be locked? What devious secrets could Kyouya possibly want to hide from Harhuhi. There wasn't really any way he could get any more despicable in her mind, so why hide something from her? A thought suddenly occurred to her. What if it were a means of escape? An untapped telephone, a device to remove the chip in her ankle, maybe. The possibility was too much for Haruhi's frantic mind to ignore.

Two hours later found Haruhi sitting in the exact same spot, having tried every lock picking technique she could think of ten times over. A sudden jolt of pain alerted Haruhi to the fact that she'd been sitting far longer than she'd intended. Her back muscles had all but frozen in the same position. This strange passage of time was beginning to irk Haruhi. She didn't have to think much on her irritation, though, if she wanted it to look like she'd done something, _anything_ he'd asked before Kyouya got home. Reaching quickly to pick up her 'lock picking tools' and start work on dinner and the chores she'd completely ignored, Haruhi encountered a pair of immaculately polished black shoes. The sudden stream of electricity that tore down her back was unlike any she'd felt before. She'd been caught. Caught trying to break into a room Kyouya obviously didn't want her to see in.

"You…You were supposed to call!" Haruhi stated breathlessly. She was rising slowly off the floor, due completely to the fact that Kyouya had a firm grip on the back of her shirt, and some of her hair.

"_I did_. About ten times and _you_ didn't anwser. Not only did that make me have to take time out of my day to make multiple phone calls, but I had to leave even earlier than I intended just to make sure you were safe!" A small, sarcastic voice spoke in the back of Haruhi's mind '_You mean to make sure I hadn't _escaped_!' _Despite the bravado of her thoughts, Haruhi was terrified. How would she explain this? Really, she _couldn't_ explain this.

"_Well?_ What do you have to say for yourself?" Haruhi gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly at every failed attempt to explain herself. As Haruhi's mind sped forward with all the possible things Kyouya would do to make her talk, she noticed something that made her mind all but stop. Kyouya was ringing his hands. Kyouya _never_ made unnecessary motions. And on the dark, blue moon that he did, it was _always_ a bad sign. In particular, Haruhi had only seen Kyouya ring his hands the ways he was currently doing, twice. Once when a particularly financially important deal fell through, and once more, the day his father had slapped him in front of a room full of influential people. Both times the horror that followed, while kept secret, was immense.

Kyouya's sudden voice startled Haruhi from her thoughts more than the hand shooting out to grab her collar did.

"I hadn't hoped I'd need this room so soon. But, since you seem deathly intent on discovering what's inside I really have no choice." Kyouya gave a sudden flick of his wrist and Haruhi found herself being dragged backwards through the door Haruhi hadn't even noticed he'd unlocked.

~~Stolen~~

_No one moved. They all just stood there, gaping at the box that has clattered to the floor almost a minute ago. It could be a clue to Haruhi's whereabouts, a note or a printed e-mail—a communication—between herself and whomever she was with….or it could be nothing. None of the hosts were quite willing enough to see if it was the latter. With what appeared to be practiced calm, the investigator stooped to pick up the contents of the box. Among a few trinkets, that didn't mean anything to any of the hosts, lay a folded, and slightly crumpled, sheet of white paper. Without pretense, the investigator unfolded it and declared_

"_It's a boarding pass printed from a computer." A collective, anxious gasp rose._

"_Well! Is it recent? Where is it to?"_

"_It's recent….the plane left the day she was supposed to arrive back home." All the hosts unconsciously scooted closer to the man who could possibly be holding all the answers in his hand. The investigator, though, didn't seem to want to give voice to those answers._

"_**Where is it to!**__" Kaoru barely managed to squeeze the words from between his clenched teeth._

"_I-I can't be sure…." Beyond frustrated, Kaoru snatched the paper from the man's hands. The remaining hosts watched as his face fell. Without a word, Kaoru turned the paper towards his friends. The top of the paper had Haruhi's name, the airline, and the date and time of departure. Underneath was an explosion of black, blue, and pink. Someone had gotten the paper beneath completely wet, causing the remaining information to be illegibly distorted._

"You must understand, gentlemen, that these things take time."

"No!" Kaoru slammed his hand on the cluttered desk in front of him. "_You_ must understand! A girl that means more to us than pretty much everything is _gone!_ Something happened to her! She didn't just up and leave, she wouldn't. She was either taken or someone tricked her into leaving and now she's in trouble! And you're just sitting there sifting through papers like you've got nothing better to do but wait until someone finds some butter to help you squeeze your head out of you're a-"

"Kaoru! He says he's doing the best he can."

"That's not good enough!" Hikaru looked at his twin with that irritating look of sympathetic understanding.

"Well, as much as you may wish it were different, it's not. There's always a time for action, but now is not that time. I know it sucks waiting, but if being patient with the only man who's been able to make any headway so far is what it takes, then I will be patient." Looking none too mollified, Kaoru turned on his heels and slammed through the door leading out of the tiny office.

"Please forgive him. He's taken this the hardest. Haruhi and he had a rather strained relationship at times due only to the fact that Haruhi has always had eyes for one of the only two people who could have convinced Haruhi to leave without telling anyone. I think he's afraid she's done something, gone somewhere, with one of them not knowing what that person truly meant for her." The small, blonde university student standing in front of his deceptively cluttered desk shocked him. He knew now that the Kaoru boy was much too suspicious for him to keep playing on such a low level. Whatever his next move was, it had to be much more intricate than his previous ones.

"Understood. I just remembered someone who might be able to speed up the process. He's wonders at cutting through the red tape and long lines of bureaucracy. If you will," the investigators eyes slid to the door, "I need to make a phone call." The three remaining hosts took the hint and turned to leave. Right before letting the door swing shut, leaving the investigator alone in his office, Mori looked back to the inside of the office,

"I'm not sure words can describe how important she is…to _all_ of us. Please find her, Yori."

~~Stolen~~

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Tamaki, between being suddenly offered a seat as CEO of a fairly large corporation, accepting the job, and beginning his duties as aforementioned CEO, Tamaki was already dead tired. He was pretty sure that things would settle down eventually, although he wasn't sure how _long_ "eventually" would be. He did know, though, that however long it may be it would only seem a thousand times longer until he had Haruhi back in his arms. He was no fool. He knew he could not ask Haruhi to make what could possibly be the biggest decision of her life and then leave her sitting around waiting for him to have time to follow through. It wouldn't be fair and she would grow resentful. No. That was wrong. Haruhi didn't _resent_ people she cared about, but Tamaki couldn't imagine she'd have a positive reaction to him leaving her alone until all the commotion died down. The whole situation was exacerbated by the fact that the company would be in uproar for an undetermined period of time after Mr. Harwicke passed. Hopefully, for Mr. Harwicke's sake, and his own, the man would have a longer time than he anticipated. The more tightly Tamaki worked himself into the company and its progress, the tighter hold he would have over any aftermath. And, as much as he hated thinking about that kind man's death so objectively, he knew it was, at least for now, a necessity. He'd already been e-mailed a sizeable list of clients, important enough to know of the switch, that he was to meet with in the next few days.

Tamaki glanced at the clock blinking at the bottom of his laptop screen. 2:37 a.m. As late as it was, the exact time difference between New Zealand and Japan escaped him. He'd promised himself he wouldn't bother Haruhi over the Holiday with her father. More so than bother her, Tamaki was afraid hearing her voice would sit him on the next flight home. He missed her dearly but he _had_ to get things set up so that they, and their children, could live a prosperous, happy life together. The smile that the thought of 'their family' brought to him was quickly overshadowed by the realization that Haruhi hadn't agreed and that she might very well _not_ agree. It hurt to think, but it gave him the extra push he needed to continue working. He would show her he was the best choice for her. That he would be able to financially provide for her. That he was strong enough to take over a company that would have been plunged into chaos once it's CEO passed. That he would _love_ her enough to give her a choice. And love her he did.

As Tamaki looked back down at his screen, his hand reached up, absently, to rub at that strange tingling feeling he'd been having since he'd first landed in Rangitikei.

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi looked in horror around the room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were covered in thick black padding that was riveted down in equally spaced intervals, reminding her of an insane asylum from a movie she'd once seen. There was one bright light overhead that had flickered on as soon as Kyouya had opened the door. But what sat dead center in the room was what terrified her. Three sets of shackles lay ominously bolted to the floor. The first set's chains, the ones in the middle, couldn't be more than three feet in length. The second chain and shackle extended from the far wall and only reached about a foot past the middle of the room. The final set, the one closest to the door, had but two links of chain on each that separated the shackle from the ground. Immediately after Haruhi had processed where she was she started to struggle against Kyouya's hold; even if it was tearing some of her hair out.

"No! Let me go! Let go of me!" Kyouya only tightened his grip causing Haruhi to hiss in pain.

"Shut up!"

"No, stop this, I'm sorry! Please, let me go!" Kyouya turned to her with his teeth clenched, a violent gleam in his eye.

"No. You wanted so badly to know what was in this room that I think it's only fair I show you." With force she didn't understand how someone as scrawny as Kyouya could posses, Haruhi's left wrist was forced into one of the middle set of shackles, followed quickly by her right wrist. When she swung out to stop him, he used her force against her to push her back onto the floor where he shot over her to grab the shackle chained to the far wall. Haruhi realized immediately what he intended with this shackle and moved as far away from the back wall as the shackles on her wrists allowed. Kyouya's brow creased in frustration as he realized the chain he was holding did not reach to where she had moved. Throwing the shackle down, Kyouya moved back towards the door and pressed one of four red rivets on the black wall. With a sharp pain in both her shoulders, Haurhi was hauled backwards until the chains connected to her wrists were sucked completely underneath the floor. Kyouya walked back around Haruhi with deceptively calm deliberateness. Haruhi couldn't do anything at this point to prevent Kyouya from locking the cold, heavy shackle around her neck. In an attempt at defiance, Haruhi did her best to sit up. She managed an uncomfortable position where she was kneeling on her feet while her wrists still remained two inches from the ground. The movement didn't faze Kyouya and when he was finished inspecting the lock currently resting uncomfortably atop her spine, Kyouya moved to calmly kneel in front of her.

"I had not intended to use this room so soon."

"Not quite ready to tie me up and torture me for your sick pleasure," Haruhi sneered in disgust.

"Ah, nothing quite so sinister. At least, that wasn't its original purpose but…" Kyouya let the dangerous promise linger a second before speaking again in that arrogant tone that always managed to turn her stomach. "I had this room built just in case we had any visitors. I could not have you spilling all our secrets, you see, so I had sound proof walls installed. The chains will keep you from harming yourself, or me when I come to fetch you. I don't expect to always have to use them. You will not be that hard to tame after some time, but for now, I think it may be an unfortunate necessity." Haruhi spat in his face. Theimmediate slap she received was not unexpected or anything less than brutally painful. Kyouya's smile still clung unnervingly to his face, though.

"Well, I see that you will need some time to think over what you've done, as you don't seem quite ready _to apologize_," the word caused Haruhi blood to boil, "I will go see what you've managed to get done in my absence." All of Haruhi's bravado escaped in one breath. Nothing. She had done absolutely _nothing_ that Kyouya had demanded she'd do today.

A small sheen of sweat had quickly broke out on Haruhi's terrified face. The light had gone out when Kyouya had shut the door behind him and only increased her panic. What would he do to her? Leave her here in the dark? Starve her? Beat her? A million scenarios, each one more horrifying than the last, ran across Haruhi's mind. She didn't have to wait long, though, before the door shot open and a furious Kyouya step over the threshold and slammed it behind him.

"You mean to tell me that in all this time you've been home you haven't done a single thing you were told!" Haruhi knew her eyes must look wild with fear. She didn't care though, she was too frightened to. "I was at work _all day_ making sure I could provide you with nice things, a warm house, food to eat, clothes on your back, and you can't do a single thing for me!" Somewhere in the back of Haruhi's mind, she couldn't help but laugh at how wrong what Kyouya was saying sounded. She would rather be hungry, freezing, and naked on the streets than under his thumb. She didn't ask for _any_ of this. "Fine. If you can't do simple housewife chores, then you will have to perform the other duties of a wife." Haruhi shouted out, realizing immediately what he was referring to. "You asked for this. If you would have been doing what I'd told you, you wouldn't be here right now. Although, after I'm through punishing you for this rather grand insurrection, I don't think I'll be able to be too upset that you did." With tears already carving tracks down her face, Haruhi shook her head furiously,

"No, _please._ I'm sorry…." Kyouya stalked towards her. Stopping mere inches in front of her, Kyouya reached for the zipper of his slacks. With no pretense, Kyoya pushed the undone slack and his underwear down to his ankles and quickly shoved them aside. Haruhi couldn't help but wretch. With deceptive tenderness, Kyouya reached out with his right hand, cradling Haruhi's jaw.

"_Please. Please!_ I'll clean, work twice as hard. Just, _please_…." The patient look fell from his face and Kyouya pinched the edges of Haruhi's jaw hard. "Open."

~~Stolen~~

*A/n: Sorry this chapter took so long. I've had a rather tragic past couple of months. And unlike the last time I'd rather not share. I've felt bad for not updating though, plus I promised ZombiesaurusRex a chapter a LONG time ago. Please forgive my sloth and if you would, reviews would help my sour mood. Again, I would like to sincerely apologize to ZombiesaurusRex who has been very appreciative of my writing and has even asked for my creative input but I have been emotionally unable to communicate until now. Sorry again to all my faithful readers I hope to be getting back to you soon with another chapter and I hope that _this_ chapter helps you forgive me.


	14. Suspicions

A/N: It's kinda short…sorry. Hopefully more soon! Also, a shout out to BlackMoonStar10 for a great review and support!

"When you grow suspicious of a person and begin a system of espionage upon him, your punishment will be that you will find your suspicions true." –Elbert Hubbard

~~Stolen~~

Having left the office earlier than expected yesterday, and spending a sizeable amount of time calling the house, Kyouya had a back-up of work on top of his already insurmountable pile. Had he known that secretly running his business from afar would have taken such effort he would have simply built a compound underneath his mansion and kept Haurhi chained there. _Chained._ The word sent a delicious shiver up his spine. How long had he fantasized about what Haruhi had done for him, how long had he desired her so intimately? _"Too long," _he thought. Haruhi had been stubborn, and difficult to convince of his affections, he'd had no choice. He'd had to steal her away from those who would poison her mind against him. The thought made his lip curl but was quickly dismissed. She was his now. Maybe not as fully as he wanted but when her time was up, it was up. Part of him still regretted making the deal, but the businessman in him couldn't resist the payoff that a little waiting would bring. And such _sweet _payoff it would be. For now, though, he would just have to take his frustration out in other ways…like tackling this massive stack of work. But first, a phone call. He had to know he was still in the clear back home.

~~Stolen~~

"I _told_ you to give a destination, somewhere far away from Japan and far away from here! This is the second time you've disobeyed my command. Were this situation not so exceptionally delicate, I would deal with you myself. As it is, I've exhausted nearly all my external resources…make no mistake, though. Should you fail me once more, the repercussions will be dire."

"But sir, I am only further stalling their progress, and _believe_ me, they do not suspect a thing. Besides, if they knew her "whereabouts" it would not take long at all for them to be exactly where she is meant to be. This way, I am prolonging the inevitable. They will go looking for her as soon as they find out her supposed whereabouts. It is quite obvious how much they care for her…it borders on obsession." Kyouya rubbed the bridge of his nose and spoke lowly to himself,

"Yes, she seems to have that affect on everyone she meets…"

"Sir?"

"Nothing. Do _not _fail me again." The line went dead.

Kyouya sat in his plush office chair, each hand pulling at the skin on the other. It was a nasty habit Kyouya had picked up that he hadn't even realized he was doing until he'd managed to break the skin of his hands once. Kyouya only did it was he was exceptionally frustrated, but once he started ringing his hands, he wouldn't stop until his problem was solved. He couldn't help it this time. Things seemed to be falling in around him. Never had one of his plans failed. Not _once_. But this one was dangerously close. What made the situation worse was that he could not go out and fix the problem himself like he usually did since all his problems in the past had been caused by incompetent or lazy employees. No. He had to stay, lest Haruhi find a way to escape in the short time he would be away. Not only would she inform the authorities, a few of which might happen to be ones not on his payroll, but she would be lost to him. He would never be able to get her back. He was not fool enough to try this stunt again. But he would not allow her to get away. No. He _couldn't_. She was _his _and he would make sure she stayed that way until she died. And if there were an afterlife, he would find her then. She would always be his. Why would she even _want_ to leave? It made no sense, he could give her anything, everything she ever wanted or needed. He could show her things he was sure she had never dreamed of. He would be the man she needed to keep her _fully _satisfied if only she would comply. But that ungrateful tart wouldn't have him! A violent shudder shot through Kyouya before he could control it. Taking a deep breath, Kyouya slowly reach across his desk to grab a discarded contract that needed to be looked over. A small drop of blood slipped from a tear that spread over three of his knuckles.

~~Stolen~~

Haruhi had not been able to keep any food down. Every time she put something in her mouth, her mind was returned to the horror of last night. The attempts were just getting more pitiful. But she _had_ to eat. Her strength was incredibly low from her lack of food and if she didn't want a rerun of last night, she needed to get everything on the long list Kyouya had given her done. That included making another large dinner. Haruhi just hoped she would be able to eat it in front of him without getting sick.

~~Stolen~~

Ryouji had never felt so helpless in his life. His daughter was missing and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. There was someone working on the case right now and the man seemed to be making some sort of progress, especially after finding an itinerary in Haruhi's room. But Ryouji just didn't understand! This was so very unlike Haruhi, she had always been so practical, almost aggravatingly so. So why would she fly out of the country without telling a single person, that Ryouji knew of, where she was going. It was a puzzle and _none_ of the pieces fit. A sudden thought struck Ryouji. Less than a thought really, more of just a queasy feeling as he remembered the lieutenant's apprehension when mentioning the investigator. Maybe it was time to pay the man another visit. If only to spend time doing something other than sitting huddled in a ball, crying in fear for his baby girl.

~~Stolen~~

Dinner was almost complete when Haruhi heard the front door slide open. A rush of emotion flooded her system. Relief at completing all her "assigned tasks" was the first but did not last long due to the dread Haruhi felt at being so close to Kyouya. Finally sadness, all consuming, tore at her as she realized this may well be her life until she died; dreading the sound of an opened door.

~~Stolen~~

While it wasn't normal for the Lieutenant to allow such, Ryouji had been sitting quietly in his private office awaiting news of his daughter. Understanding Ryoji's fears, the Lieutenant decided to placate Ryoji this small bit. He was, however, very busy with a few other investigations that were considered "high profile" so he appreciated Ryoji's continued silence until,

"I was wondering…" The Lieutenant looked up from his paperwork, cocking his head to the side as a silent signal to continue.

"Well, it's just…when you recommended that investigator you seemed hesitant. And, well, I can't help but notice that something about him just doesn't seem right. So, I was just wondering…why exactly did you hesitate recommending him?" The Lieutenant offered a small smile before answering,

"It's nothing serious, or anything that would interfere with his work. He's simply a very…eccentric man. I feared you would assume he was not taking your case seriously or would not be able to handle it. I assure you, however, that he's one of the best I've ever worked with as far as cases solved go. His quirks work for him…" The Lieutenant trailed off when he saw Ryoji's confused expression.

"Eccentric?"

"Uh, yah. You know, the crazy clothes he wears, his sudden outbursts, his obsession with cleanliness…" A budding doubt started to gnaw at the bottom of the Lieutenant's stomach when Ryouji continued to look confused. Finally, Ryoji's face softened slightly and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hm. I guess I didn't notice. I'm probably too eccentric myself sometimes to notice it in others…" The Lieutenant, who was thoroughly overwhelmed with other cases currently, was all ready to accept Ryoji's admission but something wasn't sitting right.

Now that he thought about it, the investigator, who _always_ came to the station before beginning a case to be properly briefed on everything the police knew, had been avoiding all invitations and opportunity to be at the station.

And _no one_ no matter how eccentric they were themselves could _not_ notice this man's particular…quirks. He was an amazing investigator but, to put it plainly, the man was a complete freak show. A freak show that was impossible to miss. Resolving not to further worry the already broken down father sitting at the foot of his desk, the Lieutenant tucked the thought away for later inspection. Something didn't feel right and he had a nasty suspicion he knew what it was.

~~Stolen~~

O.k. so, I'm SUPER pressed for time but I promised BlackMoonStar10 an update! Plus I know you all have been waiting (some patiently, some not so patiently) for a review! I hope to get more up soon but I'm trying to make all the pieces fit and not leave out any important details or make any mistakes with the story/timeline. Please review and I will try my very hardest to get the last few chapters done soon! (PS Next chapter is when it starts to get juicy and heart pounding!)


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